Wednesday, October 4, 2023

A Good Day to Pie by Misha Popp

I didn't read the first book in this series but didn't feel like I missed much other than the fact that I was vaguely surprised that there was magic in this book. 
Another mystery riff on the Great British Bake off, this time Daisy is a baker but she has a side business killing bad men by infusing her pies with magic. She finds her customers on the dark web. It seems like she has a significant other (couldn't tell if he knew about her side business) and a partner who does know. 
The story proceeds along as the show does, with the different bakes. It's just too bad that it turns out that Daisy's latest target is one of her judges. It's also too bad that one of the contestants ends up dead. And there's another body that shows up before the end of the story.
I liked this book well enough though the ending was a little bit more complicated than I thought it needed to be. 

Three and a half stars
This book came out February 7, 2023
Followed by The Last to Pie
Borrowed as hard copy from library
Opinions are my own

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

A Burglary In Belgravia by Lynda Wilcox

Lady Eleanor Bakewell is out for a fun night at the theater but she is the only one who hears a loud noise. When she goes to see what is going on, she discovers a dead body, Sir David Bristol. Sir David is a socialist who ran one of the leading papers in London. He is also the benefactor of the play and a man known for his many, many, many relationships. His current relationship is with the star of the play that Lady Eleanor came to see with her friend. 
There is some character growth in this book though not a lot. The mystery was a little convoluted with Eleanor being hired by a lady to find her pearl necklace and the murder being mixed in with some jewel robberies. 

Three and a half stars
This book came out November 2, 2019
Followed by A Traitor at Tower Bridge
Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Opinions are my own


Monday, October 2, 2023

Wisteria Witches by Angela Pepper

Zara Riddle isn't sure why she decided to apply for the librarian position in Wisteria but her good feelings about the move are cemented when she gets an amazing deal on a house for herself and her daughter. Zara was a teen mom and has worked hard to be able to afford this move. She's just having some odd things happen to her like, she suddenly knows how to cook and she's thinking odd things about the man next door.
Well, not the one that's about her age, Chet. He has magnetic green eyes and seems like a good father. No, her thoughts are about his dad, Grampy Don. It's almost as if her thoughts aren't her own.
This book could have used a little more editing. It was sometimes hard to tell when Zara was in charge and when the ghost was. Also, Chet wasn't fleshed out very well and it seemed like he was being set up for big things later in the series. 

Three stars
This book comes out February 2, 2017
Followed by Wicked Wisteria
Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Opinions are my own


Sunday, October 1, 2023

Organizing for the Rest of Us by Dana K. White

Most of this book boils down to seeing different things as containers and making sure that whatever you have fits in that container. 
I am single- most of this book is geared toward families.
No nonsense, this is a decent book but nothing really new.

Three stars
This book came out January 11, 2022
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Saturday, September 30, 2023

Monthly Rereads September 2023

As always, opinions are my own

Dial P for Poison by Zara Keane
Movie Club Mysteries #1
Four stars
This book came out April 12, 2017
Kindle ebook





Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews
Hidden Legacy #1
This book came out October 28, 2014
Followed by White Hot
Audiobook from Kindle






White Hot by Ilona Andrews
Hidden Legacy #2
Follows Burn for Me
Followed by Wildfire
Audiobook from Libby
This book came out October 28th, 2014
Opinions are my own



Wildfire by Ilona Andrews
Three and a half stars
This book came out July 15, 2017
Follows White Hot
Followed by Diamond Fire
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby






Hidden Legacy #3.5
Four stars
Followed by Sapphire Flames
This novella came out November 6th, 2018
Audiobook from Libby



Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews
Hidden Legacy #4
Follows novella Diamond Fire
Followed by Emerald Blaze
This book comes out August 27th, 2019
Ebook borrowed from CloudLibrary



Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews
Hidden Legacy #5
Four stars
Follows Sapphire Flames
This book came out August 25th, 2020
Ebook from Kindle


Ruby Fever by Ilona Andrews
Hidden Legacy #6
Four stars
Four and a half stars
This book comes out August 23, 2022
Follows Emerald Blaze
Ebook borrowed from Libby



Payback in Death by J.D. Robb
In Death #57
Four stars
This book came out September 5, 2023
Followed by Random in Death
Audiobook borrowed from Libby





Murder Most Actual by Alexis Hall
Four and a half stars
This book comes out November 9th, 2021
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby




Well Met by Jen DeLuca
Well Met #1
Four stars
This book came out September 3rd, 2019
Followed by Well Played
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Friday, September 29, 2023

Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey

Can one moment change your life? Melody and Beat are struggling with that question. They met, briefly, when they were teenagers. Each the child of a famous duo that broke up just before they were born. It was at that moment that a spark was formed but neither ever followed up on it. Now, there is a producer hounding them to star in a reality show, one that will bring their mothers back together. 
I guess I didn't quite realize from the description that the two of them would be in a reality competition. Public-facing romances are not my favorite so I had a little bit of difficulty connecting to this book. Even if I didn't quite connect with the premise, I still enjoyed the writing. 

Three and a half stars
This book comes out October 3, 2023
ARC kindly provided by Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Thursday, September 28, 2023

Unicorn for a Day by Dana Simpson

Once again, there are many delights from Phoebe and Marigold as they continue their adventures. We learn about unicorn omens and why booping is considered bad for unicornkind. The two also describe why their friendship works so well and Marigold is assigned some things by Phoebe might make them insecure but it's why they love each other. Also, we get some Freaky Friday action and a book club with Marigold, Todd, and Blartbert. 
Another delightful story. Simpson combines vocabulary words, learning about the world, and whimsy that keeps me reading.

Five stars
This book comes out October 3, 2024
Phoebe and Her Unicorn #18
Followed by Unicorn Crush
ARC kindly provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing and Edelweiss
Opinions are my own