Silkie Stalkings by Erik Henry Vick

It's been a little while since I listened to the first three stories but I don't remember Dru talking like a little girl so much. It's REALLY annoying. She's one of the princesses of darkness and a detective on the New York police force but uses words like "Mommy" and several times her speaking is literally described as being a little girl voice. The premise of these stories has always been interesting and Vick does a great job of weaving in lore from the original shows and from myths but this story just didn't work very well. 

Dru and Leery are on a new case. Three men have recently thrown themselves off the George Washington Bridge. Strangely, none of the three have no soul on record as having gone to the afterlife. The two detectives realize that all three victims were using an app of "proprietary magic and technology," Sinder. The app is owned by none other than the King of Sin himself, Dru's uncle Luci. Of course, he will not let any information go easily so there are some battles, both mental and physical.

Two and a half stars

This book came out June 26, 2020

Follows Mitzvah

Followed by They Ate Gatsby

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle

Opinions are my own

Tangled Reins by Stephanie Laurens

When the book opens, our hero (the Marquis of Hazelmere) mistakes our heroine (Dorothea Darent) for a country miss out picking blackberries and decides to steal a kiss. When she reacts undecidedly unlike a country miss, he has to reevaluate. What he finds is a girl outside what he's used to dealing with. For one thing, she's a bit older (twenty-two and unmarried, gasp!) and also a bit less than impressed by his prestige.

He again encounters her in an inn yard where she is being heckled by some of his compatriots. After coming to her rescue, Marc is only more entranced by her innate beauty and lack of artifice.

Of course, there are going to be trials and tribulations but these two strong-headed characters will eventually fight their way toward love.

There is a lot of tell don't show when it comes to Dorothea in this book. The entire book roles around the premise that she is so much more than the other debutantes but nobody tells her anything that's going on. Of course she ends up in the situation she does. Blergh.

Two stars

This book came out September 11, 1992

Borrowed as hard copy from the library

Opinions are my own

Deep Kiss of Winter by Kresley Cole

The four Wroth brothers, vampires all, get to find their Mates in this series. This particular story is Malcolm's turn. He's in New Orleans around the time of book four (Dark Need at Night's Edge) when he suddenly sees his female, but he is not the only one seeking her. There are ice fey after her as well. Which is interesting because Daniela "Danii" is half (one third?) ice fey and half Valkyrie. The other fey are after her because she is, in fact, in line to inherit the throne of her people but the current king (a usurper) would rather not have that happen. So it will be up to the two of them to figure out how to make her safe while also dealing with the pesky problem that they can't touch otherwise they burn each other. 

This book is somewhat shorter than most of the others in this series but not, by any means, short in comparison to most books. That means that, though the story is packed with much of the history and trivia of the Lore, the relationship between Danii and Malcolm doesn't suffer. In fact, it could have been even a little shorter because there were Just So Many misunderstandings but an overall nice addition to the series.

Four stars

This book came out October 13, 2009

Follows Kiss of a Demon King

Followed by Pleasure of a Dark Prince

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

A Duke at the Door by Susanna Allen

Tabitha Barrington and her twin brother Timothy have been traveling the continent for some time escaping some trouble at home. She is chafing being back in England but she is excited to have the chance to practice her poultices and concoctions at the Duke of Lowell's estate. Especially once she learns that the estate has a number of shapeshifters, one in particular that needs her help.

Alwyn Ap Lewin, Duke of Llewelyn, was held captive in his lion form for a number of years. It became bad enough that, when he was finally freed, he no longer wanted to be a part of the world. But Tabitha intrigues him. 

This series is filled with drama and this book is no different. It mirrors the Gothic novels written by one of the characters in the book. Is it silly? Oh yeah. Is it enjoyable in the right mood? Yes. Lots more world building in this one and setups for any number of following books in the series.

Four stars

This book comes out August 23, 2022

Follows A Most Unusual Duke

ARC kindly provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Ruby Fever by Ilona Andrews

This is basically a non-stop action book from the first page to the end though it does mellow out a bit in the Epilogue. A lot of loose threads are wrapped up in this book which was nice especially as Andrews have said on their blog that they are not sure whether there will be more books in this series. I'm not sure I loved all of the threads but it was mainly a grand trip. Definitely need to have read the previous books in the series to enjoy this one fully; lots of history and a whole lot of people. 

It's time for a final confrontation with Arkan and Catalina is not ready... but it needs to be done. And an illusion mage named Konstantin (who is both related to Alessandro and part of the Russian Imperium) brings everything to a head but Catalina is also dealing with a lost spider that is worth a quarter million dollars, the loss of her mentor Linus (he's not dead but someone sure tried to make him that way), becoming the Acting Warden of Texas, buying new property, her fiance's family coming to visit, and just trying to stay alive as an early-twenties head of her House. 

Four and a half stars

This book comes out August 23, 2022

Follows Emerald Blaze

ARC kindly provided by Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread as Libby Audiobook September 2023

Husband Material by Alexis Hall

In romance, the book usually ends on the Happily Ever After or at least the Happily For Now. If there is a sequel, it usually focuses on a couple adjacent to the one in the first book. Hall continues to break into new (or at least seldom trod) paths by writing a follow up book, one wherein the two characters plan their wedding. I liked the idea of seeing what happens after the credits roll but, though Hall is an amazing writer, I had trouble reconciling everything in this book with what happened in the first, especially since most of this book felt like Luc and Oliver were on the sidelines (i.e. all of the conflicts seem external and, in a follow up book, it seems like there could be more things internal to the relationship), and I didn't especially love the way the book ended. I liked the ending, just not the actual execution.

Luc and Oliver fell in love and are now living in their HEA. But a brush with his ex-boyfriend causes Luc to question whether they are ready to take the next step in their relationship. It sure seems like everyone else is taking that step and maybe even expecting it from them as well. But are even of them really ready?

Three and a half stars.

This book came out August 2, 2020

Follows Boyfriend Material

ARC kindly provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

A Cornish Recipe for Murder by Fiona Leitch

I seem to be on a spate of books centered around the Great British Bakeoff all of which have been fairly enjoyable. This iteration has Jodie Parker involved in the show (though she's not really quite sure why she was chosen.) It's just to bad that there are some weird things going on during the show, mostly centered around her very own bakes. But then one of the crew is murdered. He had only recently joined the team so Jodie isn't sure who would have hated him enough to kill him.

The secondary characters are well-developed including the host who is a drag queen with a secret to hide, the producer with a temper, and some of the crew. We get to see some relationship development between Jodie and Nate and some personal development for Jodie as well. 

Four stars

This book comes out August 18, 2022

Follows A Cornish Christmas Murder

Followed by A Cornish Seaside Murder

ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins UK and NetGalley

Opinions are my own