Connections in Death by J.D. Robb

Eve Dallas has a friendship with former bouncer, now club owner, Crack. So she is astonished to see him at a Nadine Furst's housewarming party with a lovely woman at his side. She's even more surprised to find out that Roarke knows Dr. Rochelle Pickering. It seems she was a top contender to be running the new facility for homeless teens. Now that the first choice had to move, she is the choice. Dr. Pickering is delighted. As is her brother. A former gang member and drug abuser, Lyle knows better than anyone how hard life can treat you and having a home like this will give these children a leg up in the world. Three hours later, Lyle is dead. Supposedly of a drug overdose. But Eve smells a set up. Especially when she finds out that a former associate of Lyle's was seen outside his door just before he OD'd. The story takes her deep into the bowels of gang territory where a bid for power means one gang member trying to start a war.

This was an interesting In Death book because the murder doesn't actually happen until Chapter 4. Instead, we get a nice long introduction to a new character as well as catch up with many of the series favorites.I didn't feel like the gang war story line was well put together but it was overall a nice addition to the series.

Three and a half stars

This book came out February 5, 2019

Follows Leverage in Death

Followed by Vendetta in Death

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread August 2023

The Christmas Season by Ally Sinclair

I didn't see anywhere that this was the second book in a series. It may not be but it sure reads like one and some of the stories (Emma and Tom, especially), we are jumping in the middle of. It took me some time to settle into the rhythm of this book but I did eventually enjoy reading about the trio of women who were the main focus of this story.

Hope had a really bad breakup years ago. Her cousins and her best friend, Theo, held her together. She's ready to find love but failed in in the last "Season" that Emma, a matchmaker, had created. Now she's enjoying her time with a young man named Callum but is he really the one? This story is the one where we see the most relationship growth. 

Grace is looking for love and readily takes advantage of one of the free tickets Emma has given Hope. While she's very attracted to a young artist named Morgan, it's an older gentleman with Jonathon who she's been going home with. Lots of sex on the page for this relationship. 

Connie is not really looking for love but when her twin sister and cousin are going to participate in The Season, Connie's not going to be left out. She's also interested in Morgan but past experience has taught her that Grace always wins these kinds of competitions. Her story is the one with the most personal growth.

Three stars    

This book comes out August 10, 2023

ARC kindly provided by Hera Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

July 2023 Monthly Rereads

Six Geese A-Slaying by Donna Andrews 

Meg Langslow #10

Three stars

This book came out October 28th, 2008

Follows Cockatiels at Seven

Followed by Swan for the Money

Audiobook from Audible

Swan for the Money by Donna Andrews

Meg Langslow #11

Three and a half stars

This book came out July 21st, 2009

Follows Six Geese A-Slaying

Followed by Stork Raving Mad

Audiobook from Audible

The Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick

Burning Cove #7

Three and a half stars

This book came out May 2, 2023

Follows When She Dreams

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Heroes by Stephen Fry

HIGHLY recommend listening to Fry read this book. I think it enhances the stories that he has brought into the 21st century (or at least the 20th). 

Stephen Fry has taken a number of the Greek myths and updated them for today. They are incredibly enjoyable and make the myths more accessible for today's readers. 

Four and a half stars
This book came out November 1, 2018

Follows Mythos

Followed by Troy

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

The Love Match by Catherine Fellows

Sara Heywood didn't expect to become an heiress to a large and rambling manor. She just wanted a legacy that would allow her to live in a small village, far away from the damp country she's grown up in. Instead, she is given the house, as long as she lives in it, until she marries. No one else in her family will receive their inheritance either. Her great aunt points out that she could solve everyone's problems by marrying one of her three cousins. It's probable that they (or Sara's brother) might try to knock her off instead as Sara's death would also release the manor. And there are some very suspicious things happening to Sara....
This was more a mystery than a romance (which is the reason I had it on my list in the first place) but entertaining for all of it's brevity. 

Four stars

This book came out in 1976

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts

Declan Fitzgerald's family is decidedly northern, which makes it so strange that he's drawn to buy a

supposedly haunted plantation house. One where a a woman died many years ago, killed by her husband's twin. He's also drawn to Angelina Simone, local bar owner. She is mysterious and gypsy-like and she's drawn to him as well. They'll have to battle their own attractions as well as threats both parental and supernatural.

Three and a half stars

This book came out October 15, 2001

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Birder, She Wrote by Donna Andrews

Meg is looking forward to a quiet afternoon in her hammock. Of course, that's not going to happen, she's got too much going on. Some of the new people moving in to Caerphilly have complaints (again) including against Edgar Brockton, the man who has been helping Meg's dad with his bees. Which is interesting because Meg herself has just gotten a new delivery. Her dad has come over to help get the hive set up when her grandmother Cordelia arrives with a journalist in tow. The journalist is following Cordelia around and that's going to include looking for a pre-Civil War graveyard. Too bad they stumble across a dead body.

If you are a regular Andrews reader, you can probably predict most of the beats of this story but that doesn't mean it's unenjoyable. It is a nice addition to the series.

I also got to listen to the audiobook and, as always, Bernadette Dunn only makes the story better. 

Four stars

This book comes out August 1, 2023

Follows Dashing through the Snowbirds

Followed by Let It Crow, Let It Crow, Let It Crow

ARC of ebook kindly provided by Macmillan and Edelweiss

ARC of audiobook kindly provided by NetGalley

Opinions are my own