Saturday, February 3, 2024

Board to Death by C.J. Connor

Ben Rosencrantz used to be an English professor (yes, he's heard all of the Shakespeare jokes) but he came back to Sugar House, a neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah, to help his father run their family's board game shop. His father is ill and can use the help but their shop has been in a slow decline for years as Amazon has taken over. Newly divorced, Ben is just in a constant state of nervousness because nothing has gone the way it should have and now he's back, still gay, in the heart of Mormon country. 
It really doesn't help that a patron shows up on his doorstep, with a knife sticking out of his chest, and promptly dies. The man had claimed to have the prototype for Monopoly which, if true, would have been worth quite a lot of money. Ben thinks that he may be a suspect in the murder so he decides to investigate on his own.
This was an okay start to a series. I don't love amateur sleuths who run into danger but Ben at least took someone along with him. There wasn't a lot of build up for the mystery other than Ben running around. The narrator also had some weird pauses that kept throwing me off but I did finish the book and I'd probably read the next one. 

A Board Game Shop Mystery #1
Three stars
This book came out August 22, 2023
Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla
Opinions are my own


Friday, February 2, 2024

A Fatal Illusion by Anna Lee Huber

At the end of the last book, Sebastian had gotten word that his father had been attacked. He and Kiera took their whole family, including their four-month-old daughter. He is being housed in a small village near where he was attacked, in the home of a former army doctor, so he at least has good care. 
However, when Sebastian and Kiera try to investigate, they run into a series of problems. There are few in the village who are willing to talk. They are also attacked. Someone is really working to make sure that the reasons for Lord Gage's attack aren't uncovered. And even the people who appear to be helpful aren't actually what they seemed. 
This book was fine but there was a lot going on. It may have been the time of my life and I'd like to re-read it again later because I did enjoy the character building, both the new characters and between Lord Gage and Henry, his son who was claimed by a duke.

Lady Darby Mystery #11
Three stars
This book came out June 20, 2023
Followed by A Deceptive Composition
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Thursday, February 1, 2024

A Witch Before Dying by Amanda M. Lee

Bay and her cousins are having to deal with dual issues, both stemming from Mrs. Little. One is that she is planning a Renaissance faire. Well, there hasn't been a lot of planning but she has brought in a troupe. It's one of their members who has been killed and Bay is worried that people will think that one of them did it. 
But trouble is also coming from the new witch, Scarlet Darksbane, that Mrs. Little has imported into town. And it will be up to Bay and her cousins as well as their significant others to figure out exactly what is going on. 
It took me a long time between picking this book up and finally finishing it. There was somehow simultaneously too much and not enough going on. It was fine but I may be nearing the end of my reading this series.

Wicked Witches of the Midwest #11
Three stars
This book came out November 5, 2017
Followed by A Breath of Witchy Air
Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Opinions are my own


Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Monthly Rereads January 2024

As always, opinions are my own

The Mane Event by Shelly Laurenston
Pride #1
Three stars
This book came out September 25th, 2007
Followed by The Beast in Him
Borrowed as audiobook from Audible

The Beast in Him by Shelly Laurenston
Pride #2
Three stars
This book came out April 1st, 2008
Follows The Mane Event
Followed by The Mane Attraction
Borrowed as audiobook from Audible





The Mane Attraction by Shelly Laurenston
Pride #3
Three stars
This book came out November 1st, 2008
Follows The Beast in Him
Followed by The Mane Squeeze
Borrowed as audiobook from Audible



The Mane Squeeze by Shelly Laurenston
Pride #4
Three stars
This book came out November 1st, 2009
Follows The Mane Attraction
Followed by Big Bad Beast
Borrowed as audiobook from Audible




Beast Behaving Badly by Shelly Laurenston
Pride #5
Three stars
This book came out May 1st, 2011
Follows The Mane Squeeze
Followed by Big Bad Beast
Borrowed as audiobook from Audible



Big Bad Beast by Shelly Laurenston
Pride #6
This book came out May 25th, 2010
Borrowed as audiobook from Audible





Bear Meets Girl by Shelly Laurenston
Pride #7
Four stars
This book came out March 27th, 2012
Follows Big Bad Beast
Followed by Wolf with Benefits
Borrowed as audiobook from Audible


Wolf with Benefits by Shelly Laurenston
Pride #8
This book came out March 25th, 2014
Followed by Bite Me
Borrowed as audiobook from Audible



Bite Me by Shelly Laurenston
Pride #9
This book came out March 25th, 2014
This book follows the Mane Squeeze
Followed by Hot and Badgered






Hot and Badgered by Shelly Laurenston
Honey Badger Chronicles #1
Three stars
Follows Bite Me
Followed by In a Badger Way
This book comes out March 27, 2018
Audiobook from Audible 

In a Badger Way by Shelly Laurenston
Honey Badger Chronicles #2
Three and a half stars
Follows Hot and Badgered
Followed by Badger to the Bone
This book came out March 26, 2019
Audiobook from Audible



Badger to the Bone by Shelly Laurenston
Honey Badger Chronicles #3
Follows In a Badger Way
Followed by Badger to the Bone
Audiobook from Audible







Badger to the Bone by Shelly Laurenston
Honey Badger Chronicles #4
Four stars
This book comes out August 31st, 2021
Followed by Born to Be Badger
Audiobook from Audible




Honey Badger Chronicles #5
Four and a half stars
This book comes out November 8, 2023
Audiobook from Audible



Pack Challenge (Magnus Pack, #1)

Pack Challenge by Shelly Laurenston
Magnus Pack #1
Followed by Go Fetch!
This book came out October 1st, 2006
Audiobook from Audible Plus
Opinions are my own


Go Fetch! (Magnus Pack, #2)

Go Fetch! by Shelly Laurenston
Magnus Pack #2
Follows Pack Challenge
Followed by Here Kitty, Kitty
This book came out March 6, 2007
Audiobook from Audible






Here Kitty, Kitty! (Magnus Pack, #3)

Here Kitty, Kitty by Shelly Laurenston
Magnus Pack #3
Three stars
Follows Go Fetch! 
This book came out July 3rd, 2007
Audiobook from Audible 








Tale of Two Dragons by G. A. Aiken
Dragon Kin #0.2
Four stars
This novella came out November 5th, 2013
Follows Can't Get Enough
Followed by Dragon on Top
Audiobook from Audible Plus







Dragon Actually by G. A. Aiken
Dragon Kin #1
This book came out September 1st, 2008
Followed by About a Dragon
Audiobook from Audible Plus






About a Dragon by G. A. Aiken
Dragon Kin #2
This book came out December 1st, 2008
Follows Dragon Actually
Followed by What a Dragon Should Know
Audiobook from Audible Plus








What a Dragon Should Know by G. A. Aiken
Dragon Kin #3
This book came out September 1st, 2009
Follows About a Dragon
Followed by Last Dragon Standing
Audiobook from Audible Plus



Last Dragon Standing by G. A. Aiken
Dragon Kin #4
Three stars
This book came out September 7th, 2010
Follows What a Dragon Should Know
Followed by The Dragon Who Loved Me
Audiobook from Audible Plus





The Dragon who Loved Me by G. A. Aiken
Dragon Kin #5
Three and a half stars
This book came out September 1st, 2011
Follows Last Dragon Standing
Followed by How to Drive a Dragon Crazy
Audiobook from Audible Plus




Dragon Kin #6
Three and a half stars
This book came out September 4th, 2012
Follows Dragon Who Loved Me
Followed by Light My Fire
Audiobook from Audible Plus





Feel the Burn by G. A. Aiken
Dragon Kin #8
This book came out November 24th, 2015
Follows Light My Fire
Followed by Bring the Heat





Bring the Heat by G. A. Aiken
Dragon Kin #9
Three stars
This book came out August 27th, 2017
Follows Feel the Burn
Characters next found in The Princess Knight



The Blacksmith Queen (The Scarred Earth Saga, #1)


The Blacksmith Queen by G.A. Aiken
Scarred Earth Saga #1
This book came out August 27th, 2019
Borrowed as audiobok from Audible Plus



Ernest Cunningham #1
Four and a half stars
This book came out March 29, 2022
Audiobook borrowed from Libby







A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn
A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn
Veronica Speedwell #5
Three stars
This book came out March 10th, 2020
Followed by An Unexpected Peril
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby


Veronica Speedwell #6
Four stars
Followed by An Impossible Impostor
This book came out March 2, 2021
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby


The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz
Fogg Lake#1
Three and a half stars (bumped up a half star on reread)
Followed by All the Colors of the Night
This book came out January 7th, 2020
Audiobook from Libby




All the Colors of Night by Jayne Ann Krentz
Fogg Lake #2
This book came out January 7th, 2021
Follows The Vanishing
Followed by Lightning in a Mirror
Audiobook from Libby





Lightning in a Mirror by Jayne Ann Krentz 
Fogg Lake #3
Three and a half stars
This book came out January 18th, 2022
Audiobook from Libby






When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz
Cutler, Sutter, and Salinas #1

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Wildest Hearts by Jayne Ann Krentz

When Daniel Lyncroft, the head of Lyncroft Unlimited, disappeared in a plane crash some time ago. His creditors are getting restless but his sister Annie doesn't want to sell his company; she knows that he is alive. So she's pulling her nuclear option, contacting his former employer, Oliver Rain. Everyone knows that he not pulled his own family's company from the brink of disaster several years ago, he multiplied their fortunes by quite a bit. He's invested in Daniel's company so it's in his best interests to make sure that the company doesn't fail. So Annie proposes a marriage of convenience.

It is possible that some of my enjoyment of this book is nostalgia but I still like that both Annie and Oliver are able to grow in this story. Oliver becomes a little less rigid while Annie becomes a bit less naive.

Four stars
This book came out in 1993
Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Prime
Opinions are my own

Monday, January 29, 2024

Solstice Spirits by Erin Johnson

Rudie Hollybrook is the only person in Holiday Haven who sees dead people. It's been a point of contention between herself and her best frenemy Hayley Swift. Except now, Hayley is also seeing ghosts. Well, ghost. It's just one ghost. But it's still scaring the bejeebers out of her. So she calls Rudie, at ridiculous hours of the morning (seriously, the lady has no manners.)

But her life view may be about to change. It may not be three separate ghosts but this particular ghost is trying to tell her something.
Not a ton of depth but a good story.

Three stars
This book came out July 1, 2021
Follows Holiday Hijinks
Followed by Merry Mischief 
Rudie last appeared in Cocoa Curses
Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Opinions are my own


Sunday, January 28, 2024

Goodbye's a Witch by Danielle Garrett

Though there is a bit of a mystery in this story, it is more about wrapping up the series, and if you go in expecting that, you'll be fine. There is a new character who is introduced but we don't see much of her. She comes through the portal that is on the manor property. But there is a problem. There are vampire's chasing her and Holly's magic is on the fritz. 
It was a little flat and a little predictable but still a nice end to the series. 

Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery #12
Three stars
This book came out June 15, 2021
Audiobook of mine in Audible
Opinions are my own