WHAT ARE WE READING AND REVIEWING IN MAY 2023?

What do you plan to read and review in May?

(MY FURRY FRIEND WANTS TO READ TOO:)

CAROL'S MAY BASKET IS FULL AND OVERFLOWING!
🌸 - ★
49/49
🌸The Swell - Allie Reynolds - 3★ (Friend)
🌸The Bishop's Pawn - Steve Berry - 5★ (Group Read)
🌸Always the Almost- Edward Underhill - 5★
🌸The Long Run - James Acker- 4★
🌸Different for Boys - Patrick Ness - 4★
🌸Sidelined - Kara Bietz - 4.5★
🌸The World As He Sees It - A M Authur- 5★
🌸The Heart As He Hears It - A M Authur - 4.5★
🌸A Master For His Puppy - Della Cain - 4.5★
🌸Professor Daddy - Nora Phoenix - 3.5★
🌸Breaking The Rules - Triskelion - Jodi Payne & B A Tortuga - 5★
🌸Making A Mark- Triskelion - Jodi Payne & B A Tortuga - 5★
🌸Making The Rules -Triskelion - Jodi Payne & B A Tortuga - 5★
🌸No Limits - Nora Phoenix- 4.5★
🌸The Little CEO - Nora Phoenix - 4.5★
🌸Here Comes Trouble - A E Via - 5★
🌸Don't Judge - A E Via - 4.5★
🌸Nothing Special V - A E Via - 5★
🌸Naughty Hand - Nora Phoenix- 4.5★
🌸His Hart's Command- A E Via - 4.5★
🌸Love in O'Leary the Novellas - May Archer - 5★
🌸Snow Falling - Davidson King 4.5★
🌸Cutting Cords - Morticia Knight - 5★
🌸Facing Fears - Morticia Knight - 5★
🌸Peacemaker- ★ - (Missouri)
🌸 No Way Out - Fern Michaels - 2★
🌸Vengeance - Mark David Abbott - 3★
🌸So Pretty - Ronnie Turner - 5★
🌸Last Chance - Kate Bold - 3★
🌸Wendigo Road - Doug Goodman - 5★
🌸The Secrets We Bury - Debra Webb - 4.5★
🌸Have You Seen Me? - Kate White - 4★
🌸Curse of Salem - Kay Hooper - 5★
🌸The Twisted Dead - Darcy Coates - 5★
🌸Graveyard of Lost Children - Katrina Monroe - 3.5★
🌸Sea Castle - Andrew Mayne - 4.5★
🌸A Flaw in the Design - Nathan Oates - 5★
🌸Seed of Evil - Greg Beck - 3★
🌸Wrong Place Wrong Time - 5★
🌸Lies Come True - Emerald O'Brien - 5★
🌸The Keepers - Tan Van Huizen - 5★
🌸Gone - Ruby Speechley - 4.5★
🌸The Suffering- M J Mars - 4★
🌸Doctor to the Dead - John Bennett- 4★
🌸After Glow - Jayne Castle - 2.75
🌸All That Is Mine I Carry With Me - William Landay- 5★
🌸Nightwork - Nora Roberts - 4★
🌸A Flicker in The Dark - Stacy Willingham -5★

Here Comes Trouble - A.E. Via - (Georgia)
Nothing Special Series Book 3
Narrator: Aiden Snow
Genera: M/M Romance/Police Procedural
5★
Detectives Mark Ruxsberg, (Ruxs), and Chris Green are very good at their jobs. Being the enforcers for God and Day's notorious Atlanta PD Narcotics Task Force causes the crazy duo to get into more trouble than they can often get out of. The pair never misses out on an opportunity to drive their lieutenants crazy with their dangerous, reckless, and costly stunts, landing them in the hot seat in front of God...often. Ruxs and Green love their jobs and they don't mind the very demanding schedule that leaves them little time for socializing or dating. It's fine with them, they enjoy hanging out with each other anyway. However, most of the men in their close circle of friends and colleagues are pairing off and settling down. God has Day, Ro has Johnson, and their Sergeant Syn has Furious. For the past several years, Ruxs has only sought out the advice and company of one person, his partner and best friend Green, and vice versa. Both of these alpha males are presumed straight, but neither can deny the heat that's building in their once-"just friends" relationship.

This series has fast become one of my favorites. Lots of fast action, intricate storyline plots, hot alpha men and their equally hot alpha lovers. Add in the teammates who are like family, funny quips, some ridiculous situations... and that’s when you usually hear the names Ruxs and Green. The narcotics task force enforcers are synonymous with chaos and property damage. They've been best friends and partners on the force for a long time and this story is about how that friendship morphs into something way more. Ruxs mom is a junkie who treats him like no one ever should treat anyone, especially a son. The reader feels the shame and sorrow that she constantly brings to big scary Ruxs. The series diffidently need to be read in order as characters appear from the first two books like Curtis, the teen that God and Day busted and then befriended back in the original book. Green becomes a surgent dad to Curtis and of course you will want to see Ruxs and Green work out that each can be exactly what the other needs. Aiden Snow narrates all these books on audio, and he does a fantastic job of giving each of the characters voices and personalities.

Don't Judge - A E Via - (Georgia/Florida)
Nothing Special Series Book 4
Genera: M/M Romance/Police Procedural
Narrator: Aiden Snow
4.5★
Detective Austin Michaels didn't think life could get any better after he was accepted into the most notorious narcotics task force on the East Coast, headed up by two of the baddest Lieutenants with the Atlanta Police Department - Cashel Godfrey and Leonidis Day. Michaels knew he would fit right in as the team's sniper, having received his fair share of commendations for marksmanship. He was just as badass as the rest of the twenty brothers that made up their team. But when Michaels lets their prime suspect get away from a huge bust with over a quarter of a million dollars in drugs, he's willing to do whatever it takes to make it right. Left with no other options, God chooses to bring in outside help, calling on his long-time friend and bounty hunter, Judge Josephson.
Judge was considered one of the best trackers during his enlistment in the United States Marine Corps. After retiring, he used those skills to become one of the most sought out fugitive trackers in the country. When Judge gets a call from his old friend needing his help, he quickly tells God, yes.

Not my favorite of the series but it still had a lot to offer if you are a "dyed in the wool" fan of God and Day and their little group...which I certainly am. The two characters, Detective Austin Michaels...Gods sniper, and Judge Josephson, the bounty hunter...spent way, way too much time being rude and obnoxious to one another. Even when they were trying to be more "friendly" they were rude and obnoxious to each other. I didn't think they were EVER going to even like one another and had about as much chance of falling in love as a snowball's chance in Hell. At least the dog loved them both :) I believe that the major problem was that BOTH guys are VERY, VERY Alpha...most of the men in this series are but they compromised better than Judge and Michaels seemed to be ever willing to even begin to try. These two didn't make their road to happiness easy...they had to work hard for it. There are tense moments, laughter, tears and a couple of "I can't believe you even did that!" times. I really had my doubts though it all. Again, as always, Aiden Snow was nothing but magnificent.

Wrong Place Wrong Time - Gillian McAllister - (England)
Genera: Mystery & Suspense/Thriller
5★
He’s past curfew. As you watch from the window, he emerges, and you realize he isn’t alone: he’s walking toward a man, and he’s armed. You can’t believe it when you see him do it: your funny, happy teenage son, he kills a stranger, right there on the street outside your house. You don’t know who. You don’t know why. You only know your son is now in custody, his future shattered. That night you fall asleep in despair. All is lost. Until you wake . . .. . . and it is yesterday. And then you wake again . . .. . . and it is the day before yesterday. Every morning you wake up a day earlier, another day before the murder. With another chance to stop it. Somewhere in the past lies an answer. The trigger for this crime—and you don’t have a choice but to find it.

It’s after midnight and Jen is waiting for her eighteen-year-old son. Todd is late, but Jen isn’t too worried...at least, no more than she should be. When she sees him from the window, she feels relieved, but then she sees a man following him. Her relief turns to horror as she watches Todd stab the man three times. Jen spends the night at the police station, but soon awakes thinking it was a terrible nightmare than felt real and then she slowly comes to realize, the impossible has happened. It's not October 31...it is October 28 and she was t the police station on October 30. She doesn't question it too closely...she only knows that somehow fate has given her a reprieve and Todd has yet to kill anyone. The story follows Jen, a divorce lawyer, as she moves back slowly, and then faster, through time, investigating what might have led her son to commit murder, and her desperately trying to prevent it. When she finds a knife in his bag...she takes it out. Maybe that will that be enough. She has the knife. Perhaps the murder has been stopped. above all, maybe she will wake up and it will be tomorrow....or the day after. Anything but today...again. Fate is fickle and when she wakes... it's now two days earlier. I admit that I became a bit confused about what day I was in. It makes your head swim after a while...I can only imagine how Jen felt. The author is a genius pulling off this tightly plotted theme that moves backwards through time, following missing babies, criminal gangs, and a sinister antagonist, finally bringing it to an extremely satisfying conclusion. It's a mystery but also in many ways it's also a moving love story. You may think "Oh...another Groundhog Day type story", but don't you believe it. It is SO MUCH MORE!

Lies Come True - Emerald O'Brien - (British Columbia - (Canada)
Avery Hart Trilogy Book 1
Genera: Mystery & Suspense/Thriller/Police Procedural
5★
Avery Hart narrowly escapes death after being attacked in the woods of Crown River. Ten years later... The body of a young woman is discovered along the path of a park in the same town. The killer is cunning and ruthless, but even the best killers make mistakes. Fiona Wolfe, the second woman to be attacked, survives and reveals a potential link between the current killer and the attack on Avery Hart. Noah Cotter, an ambitious new inspector, becomes drawn to the case when his curiosity combines with his attraction to Avery. The dangerous search for truth appears to be muddied with each shocking secret brought to light, as Avery, Fiona, and Noah realize that when someone is deceived for too long, sometimes... Lies Come True

This is a dark thriller as well as a very good murder mystery that will keep you wanting to read well into the night or however long it takes you to get to the end. The author has very cleverly written something that will completely throw you off track several times when you think you have it all worked out. This is a brilliant start to the series, and I am so looking forward to more. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster ride with lots of angst and fear. Avery was attacked ten years ago and has ever since lived her life in constant fear. When she sees a police report her world is once again turned upside down and her worst nightmare is coming back to rule her life again. She wonders, if with a crazy killer on the loose will the police be able to keep all of the girls safe. The only downside to this story is that it ends with a cliffhanger that will absolutely demand that you find book #2.

Angel With Two Faces – Nicola Upson
3***

Book two in the mystery series featuring Josephine Tey and Detective Inspector Archie Penrose. Tey was a real person, and Upson uses elements of her life as well as historical events of the mid 1930s as jumping off points for these mysteries. In this episode Tey has been invited to join her friends the Motleys in Cornwall where they’ve gotten involved in the local Minock Theatre. Archie arrives in the same area to attend the funeral of a family friend, and then is convinced to take on the role the friend was to play in the community dramatic performance.

There are more family secrets here than Carter has pills. I had a difficult time at first keeping the characters straight, in part because of their interconnectedness and in part due to everyone’s tendency to speak in riddles and half-truths. Josephine and Archie have different approaches to gathering information, but complement one another in their efforts to ferret out the truth. There are a couple of shocking reveals and more than one twist to the plot.

As mysteries go, this was somewhat slow to get started. The action picks up once the murder happens (on page 200). It is more of a psychological drama than anything else. I’m willing to continue the series, but I hope the action picks up.

The Little CEO - Nora Phoenix - (Nevada)
Genera: M/M Romance/Little, Daddy Age Play
4.5★
Phex Blanchet seems to have it all. He’s a successful CEO, his house is ginormous, and he drives the car of his dreams. But he lacks a Daddy. Nothing relaxes Phex more than sinking into his little headspace, where he can play with cars or trains, drink from sip cups, and wear pull ups. But it’s hard without a Daddy. Sadly, no matter how hard he’s tried, he can’t seem to find a Daddy who wants him the way he is. Until he meets club owner Devlin “Daddy D” McHale. Could Daddy D be the perfect Daddy Phex has been searching for this whole time?

A 92-page short story featuring an exhausted CEO of a large company who is also a "little", add a sweet, caring "Daddy", plus all the hurt comfort your heart can handle, then sit back and enjoy their HEA ending when their dreams may have at last come true.

The Keepers - Tan VanHuizen - (Massachusetts)
Genera: Mystery/Horror
5★
There is evil in the swamp–the place where spirits dwell. Everyone in Titicut Township knew Carl Jenkins suffered from paranoid delusions, but what truly haunted him was far darker in nature. Whatever the small-town talk, only Carl and the shadow force of keepers (headed by Chief of Police, Elias Hicks) knew the truth. When outsider and city reporter, Don Williams, arrives to investigate a 1973 cold case involving Carl Jenkins and the disappearance of three men, Hicks knew time was running out. The secret order he swore to protect was under threat of exposure. As chief of police and head of The Keepers, his charge was two-fold: appease the warring spirits in the realm of the dead and protect the faithful against God's adversary. Hicks ordered Titicut locked down and called a meeting beneath the old meeting house, but something went wrong. It was the first time in the order's dark history a member would violate their oath of secrecy placing all within the township at risk. What only Hicks and the order knew is there were some secrets so grave, that if ever unearthed, not even God himself could save them.

The story takes place in a small rural town on the edge of a swamp in western Massachusetts. The "Keepers" are certain members of the local police force who have been charged with upholding a pact made between the Indians who lived there in the 1600’s and the settlers that wiped them out. The details are intentionally vague, but the gist is, if anyone dishonors the Indian spirits or ancestral land, there will be a literal hell the town will pay, no matter how many years have gone by. People disappear from the town from time to time, but as to exactly why, and what it has to do with the pact…that wasn't explained here so I assume that it's going to be addressed in a sequel. (?) Or maybe the reader is supposed to write their own explanation. This did not in any way distract from the story...just left the reader curious. The cast of characters is fairly large, but each group is connected in some manner to the plot. Part of the cast of characters is what is a group that is described as "juvenile delinquents". The father of one of them survived one of the disappearances years ago but refuses to discuss it with anyone, but it diffidently has something to do with the cops. As for the cops... only some of them Keepers, but they are supposed to maintain order...but only secondary to maintaining the old settler's pact with the Indians. Also in town is an investigative news crew trying to solve some of the cold case disappearances. There are quite a few story threads, but they slowly draw together by the end of the book. Despite the lack of answers for some major questions, there’s plenty to keep the reader entertained and reading. Some high-speed chases, an axe murder or two, people blowing themselves up in the swamp, some dark creature from who knows where that ride the wind across the skies…your usual "villains" that make up a story like this. Tan Van Huizen certainly knows how to write a page turner and how to keep most of the plot vague until the time for the reveal.

Nothing Special V - A. E. Via - (Georgia)
Nothing Special series Book #5
Narrator: Aiden Snow
Genera: M/M Romance /Police Procedural
5★
Atlanta's notorious narcotics task force is at it again. They are stronger, bigger, and better than ever. Especially when a city councilman sends RECON Marine Edwin Steele - who's been blacklisted from his Oakland department - to join the team. Steele was ready to hang up his shield. He was done fighting with bigoted bastards that couldn't respect the job. He was good at fighting; he just needed the right team to fight with. When his uncle - City Councilman Rasmus Steele - shows him a video of God's team in action, he knows right away it's where his nephew belongs in order to restore his faith. Steele was skeptical about his new placement, but when he meets God's technology specialist/computer genius, "Tech", he's willing to give it his all, and he definitely shows and proves. Tech is stunning. His sweater vest and khakis, a stark contrast to the blue-jeaned roughnecks he works with. A beautiful sheep amongst the wolves. Steel thinks there's no way the brilliant man would be interested in a hardhead like him, but Tech has a few badass hidden talents of his own and manages to surprise him...surprise all of them.

This special task force of sexy unstoppable men just got a little bigger with the addition of Edwin Steele. He's an ex-Marine with a classified background, but he needs to move on from his past. When he meets, "Tech", the computer genius for the special task force, on his first day he's head over heels for the super sexy, geeky man. He's quickly brought into the team and is so happy of being with a "band of brothers" again. Shawn...known as Tech...loves his job, but he became a detective because he wants to work in the field, not sit in front of a computer for the rest of his life. He needs to speak up...to prove himself if he wants to show his bosses, God and Day, that he can do the work. He's been on this team for a long time and wants to move up. He also wants to find someone special one day like the others on the team has. Someone to go home to at night. Someone to share his life and dreams with. Has he maybe found that in Steele? Tech loves Steele's dominating side, but he's no pushover. They aren't equally matched physically, but they are equals in every other way. Steel is turned on by everything about Tech, from his snazzy clothes to his brilliant mind that works like the most advanced computer on Earth. The two are sexy, sweet, dangerous, and hilarious. One of the selling points to this series has always been the "family" and the loyalty constantly displayed by this team. The author has done a wonderful job of creating a group that most people would give their right arm to belong to. I am slowly working through the entire series. A>E. Via will either have to write more of these books or I'll just have to visit with them again, which will certainly NOT be a hardship:) OH...almost forgot. There is a bonus story at the end of this book featuring the characters of Curtis and Genesis who we have met in previous books.

The Swell - Allie Reynolds - (Australia)
Genera: Suspense
3★
The waves are to die for. Three years ago, passionate surfer Kenna Ward lost her two great loves—after her boyfriend drowned, she hung up her surfboard and swore off the water for good. But she is drawn back to the beach when her best friend, Mikki, announces her sudden engagement to a man Kenna has never met—a member of a tight-knit group of surfers. Kenna travels to a remote Australian beach, entering a dangerous world far from civilization where the waves, weather, and tides are all that matter. Kenna is tempted back into the surf and drawn into the dazzling group and the beach they call their own. But this coastal paradise has a dark side, and members of the group begin to go missing. Kenna realizes that in order to protect Mikki and learn more about the surfers, she must become one of them…without becoming one of their victims. What follows is an adrenaline-fueled thriller packed with twists and turns, exploring the dangerous edge between passion and obsession.

Sports therapist Kenna Ward flies into Sydney from her home in England, determined to rescue her best friend, Mikki, from her new fiancé, Jack. Kenna hasn’t met Jack, but from what she’s surmissed by long-distance talks with Mikki, she's convinced that he's overly controlling and possibly even abusive. Her concern can in some ways be understood as Mikki and Kenna’s friendship goes back to their early schooldays when they were both surf crazy and shared many adventures together. Also concerning to Kenna was how sudden Mikki's engagement to Jack was. Kenna’s plans to investigate Jack take an unexpected turn when he and Mikki whisk her off to their secret hideaway, a remote beach in a semi abandoned national park. More disturbing to Kenna was the motley crew of buddies they hang out with, known as the "Tribe", composed of Victor, Ryan, Clemente, and Sky. All of them come from various places around the world and each one carries loads of emotional baggage, ranging from PTSD from a surfing wipeout, to opiate addiction after a damaging accident. Together, as a team...and they are somewhat of a team...they even have a motto... “Fear is fuel…. Panic is lethal!”! They spend almost all of their days surfing and egging each other on with trust exercises and super competitive tasks that test their physical and mental boundaries in the ocean and on the nearby cliff and rocks. Needless to say, all is not well in this surfer's paradise. The surfing tribe is like a pack of wolves. The location is a no-holds-barred tropical pleasure spot complete with mosquitoes, ants, jellyfish, bats, and snakes. Kenna is not without her own challenges to overcome. She lost someone close to her two years earlier and hasn’t recovered. Then there’s the sinister undercurrent of about several missing backpackers. All this has you wondering who will manage to survive? The characters were not remotely likable. Each one is damaged in some way . While the cause for that damage was clear in some and murky in others, the effect was to make all the characters appear stand-offish and hostile and their motivations seemed to be unclear and confusing and thoroughly self-involved. The relationships between some were more than confusing. To me Kenna's reason for taking off to "rescue" her friend seemed pre-mature and unwanted or needed.

A Single Thread – Tracy Chevalier
Book on CD narrated by Fenella Woolgar
3***

From the book jacket: 1932. Since the Great War took both her brother and her fiancé, Violet Speedwell has become a “surplus woman,” one of a generation destined to remain unmarried after the war killed so many young men. Yet Violet cannot reconcile herself to a future spent caring for her grieving mother. Setting out for Winchester she finds both a job and a room of her own in a boardinghouse. Violet also falls in with the broderers, a group of women charged with embroidering cushions and kneelers for the grand Winchester Cathedral. She finds friendship in her new circle, fulfillment in the work they create, and love.

My reactions
This is a selection for my F2F book club. I have read and greatly enjoyed other works by Chevalier, so was looking forward to it. But I came away a little disappointed. I suppose if I had read the jacket blurb I’d have known there would be a romance and my expectations would have been different. But I really wanted to know more about the cathedral, its history, and the work of the broderers.

Chevalier managed to include issues of the era’s expectations (or lack thereof) of women, and a lesbian couple’s struggles to find acceptance. She also includes the beginnings of the Nazi party with Hitler’s rise to power and hints at what is coming.

I really liked Violet, and several of the women she came to know and befriend. Her landlady was a peach, and Miss Pesel was a treasure. I thought she treated Violet’s relationship with Arthur fairly, and realistically. But I wish the author had left out the romance.

Fenella Woolgar does a marvelous job narrating the audiobook. There are many women characters and she managed to give them sufficiently unique voices so I was never confused about who was speaking.

Rich People Problems – Kevin Kwan
3***

Book three (and I hope the final installment) in the story of the uber wealthy Singaporean Young family. Nick hasn’t seen his grandmother in several years, since she disinherited him over his marriage to Rachel. But now Su Yi’s health crisis brings him … and his aunts and cousins … rushing back to Singapore to get one more visit with the dying matriarch.

There’s plenty of drama, what with divorces, engagements, sex video scandals, stepchildren misbehaving, mega efforts to one-up each other, extravagant parties, and even plastic surgery for a pet fish. But the prize everyone wants is the fabulous estate – Tyersall Park. WHO will get it?

I didn’t find this effort very engaging. I really wanted more of Nick and Rachel’s story, but they were side characters to all the drama. I did like the flashbacks to Su Yi’s youth and her experiences during WW2. However, on the whole Kwan writes these people so over-the-top that it’s hard to relate to any of them. I’m not even all that interested in what brand names they are touting. They are shallower that the damp spot on the sidewalk where I splashed a few drops of water.

Oh well, it’s a relatively fast read and I found all the gossiping and back-biting mildly entertaining.

Professor Daddy - Nora Phoenix - (Massachusetts/California
Genera: M/M Romance/BDSM
3.5★
Hagen St. Croix didn't want to be Baxter's Dom. He wanted to be his Daddy. College professor Hagen St. Croix is done with his life as a Dom ever since two previous boys left him. When his former club organizes an event, he wants to go...but not alone. He finds a date-for-hire, but he's shocked when it turns out to be his sexy student Baxter LaFelle, and even more surprised by the feelings Baxter evokes in him. When tragedy strikes for Baxter, Hagen realizes that he doesn't want to be his Dom. He wants to be something else... but will Baxter let him? And what will happen when their contract is up?

It's a story of a slightly older than usual college student...Baxter, doing his best against some very steep odds and accidentally getting involved with his professor. You have to feel for Baxter's situation and see how hard he is struggling as life throws one obstacle after another in his path. Professor Hogan St. Croix learns why this bright young man is failing his class and why he is exhausted all the time, just as Baxter is presented with yet another obstacle. The professor comes to Baxter's rescue. What starts off as a paying job for the Professor quickly becomes much more, when Hagen not only realizes his honest attraction but his real need to take care of this boy who really needs someone like him. It was a nice touch by Nora Phoenix to have the privileged professor learning something from the impoverished student. Both are great characters in this sweet, sexy, but short, fun read.

The True Tails of Baker and Taylor: The Library Cats Who Left Their Pawprints on a Small Town . . . and the World
Jan Louch
5/5 stars
What a wonderful story about a library who took in two Scottish Fold cats, Baker and Taylor. The library and the patrons embraced them and let them live in their library. After the cats were photographed for a poster they became minor celebrities and their fans traveled to the library to see them or write letters to them.

Cutting Cords - Morticia Knight - (California)
Kiss of Leather series Book #6
Genera: M/M Romance/BDSM
5★
Liam yearns for Master Neal’s harsh touch, but can a part-time Master give a full-time sub everything he needs? Liam’s world crumbled after the unexpected death of his Master. Prone to panic attacks and social anxiety, Liam doesn’t believe he’ll ever find another Dom willing to take on such a challenged sub full-time. Too distraught to go back to Club Consequence where he met the man he thought he’d be with forever, he decides to give Kiss of Leather a try. After doing a piercing gig at Kiss of Leather, Master Neal signs up to become a member. There he meets a sub who brings out his protective urge and makes his heart come alive. Neal isn’t scared off by Liam’s anxiety or social awkwardness. On the contrary, he finds the sub refreshingly honest and endearing. However, the road to love and a Total Power Exchange isn’t an easy one. Neal still hasn’t discovered all there is to know about Liam’s traumatic upbringing, and he’s not sure if he’d ultimately be the right Master for the skittish boy. Both men are forced to face the truth about love, life and what it means to share it with another person. Can Liam start over with Neal and cut the cords to his past? Liam yearns for Master Neal’s harsh touch, but can a part-time Master give a full-time sub everything he needs?

Ever since Liam was first introduced, I had wondered if we would ever know his story. Liam's character is drawn to be that of an anxious, hurting sub. That description only added to the reader needing to see him smiling and happy again. Thank you Morticia knight for finally letting us see him, as his past is revealed, and he learns to love again. The books in this series can be read as standalones but they are so much better if they are read in order so that you can have "visits" from past favorite characters. In this one we meet again with Chuck and Jordan from Gaining Trust, the book just before this one. We learn that Liam’s former Master has died, and Liam is devasted and completely lost. Filled with anxiety, this full-time sub is finding it almost impossible to function. He even finds going to their former club, "Club Consequence", is beyond difficult. His friends, Jordan and Chuck decide to help him make the switch to "Kiss of Leather", where he meets Neal. Neal is drawn to the young sub despite his anxiety and seeming lack of social skills. Neal finds that Liam would be perfect for him but isn’t sure he really wants a full-time sub, however, Liam desperately needs to be one. The two eventually learn to communicate, despite Liam’s difficulties saying what he means. Within a single breath Liam will present two different ideas, which often confuses everyone...everyone but Neal. I never wanted Liam’s story to end, or for that matter, I never wanted this entire series to end. I see that Morticia Knight has created more series like this one with hot, sexy guys...so I'll just pick up a few more.

Famine / Graham Masterton
3 stars

When some kind of blight starts taking over Ed’s wheat field in Kansas in a matter of hours, he soon learns this is affecting many areas of the U.S. and many different types of crops. Meanwhile, Ed’s wife Season has decided that she does not like life on a farm and misses the city; she packs up and takes their daughter with her to California to be with her sister.

I could have done without the stretch of politics at the start; I kind of lost interest through part of that. The story itself of the food all going bad was good, and to what lengths will people go to get (and/or stockpile) food. Even more so, I could definitely have also done without every female character having big boobs and a ton of sex; and all the derogatory comments toward the woman characters. I almost rated it lower due to this, but decided the story itself was enough for me to rate it slightly higher, so I decided on a middle ground at 3 stars (ok).

Snow Falling- Davidson King
Haven Hart Series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance/Mystery
4.5★
After running from a past destined to kill him, Snow has been hiding on the streets. Tell nobody your name. Tell nobody your secrets. Trust nobody! These are the rules of the streets. His entire life changes when he saves an eight-year-old boy from a violent end. Christopher Manos is one of the most powerful crime bosses in the country. Don’t ask anyone to do something you aren’t willing to do yourself. Secrets can get you killed. Trust nobody! These are the rules he lives by. When his eight-year-old nephew disappears, he never expects the boy’s savior to end up being his own. A man with a dangerous past and a man with a dangerous future find love amidst murder and mayhem. But with Snow’s life being threatened at every turn, will Christopher’s best be enough to prevent Snow Falling?

This well written and entertaining story is part mystery, part action thriller, and part romance. A little something for everyone:) Snow is a streetwise young man, who happens to come upon the son of one of the local crime bosses trying to kidnap a young boy off the street. Little does he know just who that boy belongs to, or how much his own life is about to change. Snow does exactly what he knows is right and saves the boy only to end up in the home of yet another crime boss, this one eager to learn his story and help him out. Snow himself has a fairly dark past and is on the run and hiding out on the streets from a father who hides his own corruption under the mantle of Chief of Police. The life Snow left behind was one of endless fear, and nothing, not even the love of a man Snow fears has already stolen his heart, can make up for this. Everything appears to be fine on the surface of Snow's life and he's not above doing whatever it takes, including facing his father, if he means he can possibly have the love of Christopher Manos who sees Snow for so much more than who Snow sees himself as. The plot holds together well and made sense throughout the story in spite of the number of side characters that were introduced. I have read another series by this author and was expecting nothing less than excellence from her here.

Dead Run: The Murder of a Lawman... / Dan Schultz
3.5 stars

In May 1998, a police officer, Dale Claxton, in Colorado near the desert pulled over a truck. Nothing seemed amiss until three men stepped out of the truck – all three had automatic guns. Claxton was shot numerous times and was killed. The three set off into the desert as other police tried to chase, but were gunned down themselves (others were injured, but not one else was killed). The last of the three fugitives was found in 2007; all three had died in the desert, though the other two had been found within a few weeks of the original chase.

This was good. Starting off with the killing of Claxton and the chase got me into the book right away. Some of the investigation wasn’t quite as interesting, but it picked up every time one of the three killers was found. And, I found the biographical info about each of the three interesting, as well. The three men were all identified fairly quickly, but all three also had plenty of experience surviving on the desert.

Because all three were found dead, it is speculation about what happened and why they did what they did, but it seems likely they were on their way to a different big crime, but got interrupted with Claxton pulled them over. The police also put out there, for all three of the gunmen, that they’d each killed themselves, but (according to the author) the evidence doesn’t really point to that.

This is a good book about a crime I hadn’t heard about (though I’m sure there are plenty who llived closer to the area who would remember this). It was unfortunate there were no references included in the book, though.

Murder In Grub Street– Bruce Alexander
3***

Book two in the Sir John Fielding mystery series. Young Jeremy Proctor has been apprenticed to a printer on Grub Street, but the night before he was to move to Mr Crabbs’ establishment to begin his training, the entire Crabb family and the two apprentices to lived with them were brutally murdered. A poet who also resided there was found with the likely weapon in his hand and taken into custody. But he maintains he is innocent. Sir John, though he is blind, is an astute investigator and Jeremy along with some of the colorful residents of Covent Garden help Sir John ferret out the truth.

This was much more complicated than the first book, and I admit my attention wandered a bit. There is religious fervor, multiple personalities, professional jealousy, anti-semitism, dreadful conditions of tenement buildings, and a light-fingered imp of a thief to complicate the case. Still, I love the way that Alexander has taken bits and pieces of history and woven them into these mysteries. Set in 1765 London, the protagonists must rely on their wits and old-fashioned investigative techniques. Sir John is, of course, further hampered by being blind, but Jeremy is an astute observer and honestly relates what he sees to his mentor.

I’ll keep reading this series.

Love in O'Leary - The Novellas - May Archer - (New York)
5 Short Stories from The Love in O'Leary series
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
The Date - Caelan James should've known better than to let a dating app set him up on a blind date. Nothing in life was guaranteed-perfect, especially not guys, and most definitely not guys in the immediate vicinity of tiny O'Leary, New York. But then sexy Navy SEAL Ash Martin walked into Cal's bakery, and made him wonder if fate might have cooked up something sweet for him after all. But could their perfect date last for more than just a night, or even a season?

The Note - I was one of the lucky ones. I found my soulmate back in high school, when my next door neighbor wrote me a love note that changed my life -- a love note that promised me "always." But apparently "always" ain't all it's cracked up to be, because here I am, a mere eight years later, planning my soulmate's dream wedding -- the most romantic Valentine's Day wedding in O'Leary's history. The only problem? He's not marrying me.

The World - What do the hot, genius entrepreneur and I have in common? Absolutely nothing.Taika Parata may be rich as hell, but he’s a total jerk. He spends his days traveling the globe in the lap of luxury, while I dreamed of leaving my tiny hometown for a nomadic life and never got further than Boston. But when fate throws us together, our preconceptions are challenged and suddenly we both have an entirely new perception of the world… and each other.

The Castle - My best friend believes in fairy tales—princes, castles, once upon a times, happily ever after, and true love. He's been that way since we were kids. It's beautiful. Adorable. Charming. And annoying as hell, because I've spent decades standing on the sidelines while guy after guy crushed my best friend's heart, leaving me to pick up his pieces. For as long as Brian has dreamed of fairy tales, I have dreamed of Brian. But if he's waiting for some guy on a white horse to wander into O'Leary, there's no way he's going To notice the man who's been by his side all along.

The Light - When Fran Goode kissed me goodbye four years ago, he took my heart with him. Sure, there were reasons we broke up, but they all seem silly now. And I know I should have moved on long ago, but the man's burned into my memory: his smile, his kiss, those long, unforgettable nights in his bed. So instead, I find myself driving up a mountain, on the eve of an O'Leary blizzard, to Fran's remote cabin. I need to see him again, to look into those gorgeous dark eyes, and to find out, for once and for all, whether the spark that flared between us has gone cold and dark... or has been burning like a beacon for us all along.

If you've read the books in the Love In O'Leary series, you will recognize the stories and the characters that "live" in these 5 short stories...several adding to the ending of the original book they are based on. Great that the author gave her fans these small treasures.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J K Rowling
Book on CD performed by Jim Dale.
4****

The seventh, and final, episode in the uber popular Harry Potter series, provides a few surprises and a satisfying ending to the story of the Boy Who Lived vs You Know Who.

It’s been several years since I read book six, so I was a bit lost at first and a few times I had to stop and think to remember what had occurred before. But Rowling’s storytelling pulled me along, and the series has always been aimed at this confrontation. Some of the scenes were truly frightening. I appreciated the several bits of humor that provided some relief from the seemingly relentless danger. And can I just say that I want one of those evening bags!

One thing I really like about the series is the strength of the friendships between the central trio: Harry, Hermione and Ron. What couldn’t any of us accomplish with such loyal backing! I also noticed how they have matured from eleven-year-olds to being on the cusp of adulthood.

While I was experiencing this audio, news arrived of Robbie Coltrane’s passing. (He’s the actor who portrayed Hagrid in the films.) That made the scene near the end where Hagrid is carrying Harry’s limp body all the more poignant for me.

Jim Dale’s masterful performance of the audio was nothing short of mesmerizing. He is able to switch from one voice to another seamlessly. (Yes, I know sound editing plays a part here … still masterful.)

Klara and the Sun / Kazuo Ishiguro
3 stars

Klara is a robot with incredible AI (Artificial Intelligence) waiting in a store with other robots to be bought by kids as companions. When Josie sees her, she knows she wants Klara, but can’t bring her home right away. Klara just hopes Josie will be back. When Klara eventually goes home with Josie, things aren’t exactly what she’d expected. Josie has some kind of illness, and Klara is expected to do something unexpected.

I listened to the audio and I liked the start of it (after the short bit to figure out what was going on), but as the book continued on, I lost more and more interest. I guess it did end “better” than I’d expected (for the main storyline that I was (mostly, as far as I know) following). I’m rating this “ok”. As I read reviews that include a summary, it seems I missed more than I’d even realized!

Different For Boys - Patrick Ness - (Washington)
Genera: M/M Romance/Censorship/YA Fiction
4★
Anthony “Ant” Stevenson isn’t sure when he stopped being a virgin. Or even if he has. The rules aren’t always very clear when it comes to boys who like boys. In fact, relationships of all kinds feel complicated, even with Ant’s oldest friends. There’s Charlie, who’s both virulently homophobic and in a secret physical relationship with Ant. Then there’s drama kid Jack, who may be gay and has become the target of Charlie’s rage. And, of course, there’s big, beautiful Freddie, who wants Ant to ditch soccer, Charlie’s sport, and try out for the rugby team instead. Ant’s story of loneliness and intimacy, of unexpected support and heart-ripping betrayal, is told forthrightly with tongue-in-cheek black-bar redactions over the language that teenagers would actually use if, you know, they weren’t in a story. Award-winning author Patrick Ness explores teen sexuality, friendship, and romance with a deft hand in this structurally daring, illustrated short novel. This spare, affecting novella takes place over the first week of eleventh grade, zeroing in on the dynamics between Ant, Charlie, Jack, and Josh. . . Ant’s first-person narration moves between the present day, his history with Charlie and Jack, and his reflections on love, sex, and friendship with appealing raw-edged frankness and humor, complemented by Tea Bendix’s sketch and collage artwork. Ness takes on the often-underexplored social dynamics among teenage boys with nuance and subtlety that will leave readers thinking long after they turn the final page.

It's short. In some ways it's WAY, WAY too short...104 pages, but Patrick Ness has delivered his message beautifully and said almost all that can be said. Some of you know that I volunteer time to the LGBTQ kids in my city and work almost exclusively with the 13–18-year-olds. Once a teacher always a teacher:) In addition, our library buys and furnishes the shelter with books...they aren't all LGBTQ subjects, but some are, and they help our kids relate to the things that they are feeling and are confronted with everyday...most are written by authors that went through some of the same emotions as these young people at their age. This one recently hit our shelves and has been passed around and has already been well read. The jest of the story is that four friends are grappling with their identities. They have an ally in Mr. Bacon, their cool AP history teacher, when he reconfigures the classroom setup, seating Ant and Charlie together with genial football player Josh Smith and the boys’ former friend, Jack Taylor, now a drama kid. The foursome have now been forced to deal with the fact that Jack is obviously gay...knows, and now could be a threat to Ant and Charlie’s "elephant in the room, secret". The boys all know that being gay is still as taboo as it’s ever been among the traditionally masculine boys and others in their school and state. The story has wonderfully done pencil sketches that help illustrate this really beautiful little story.

Death On the River of Doubt – Samantha Seiple
Digital audiobook read by David de Vries
4****

Subtitle: Theodore Roosevelt's Amazon Adventure

This is a children’s middle-grade book detailing the expedition to chart a previously unexplored tributary of the Amazon. To say that this journey was treacherous is an understatement. Canoes broke up over waterfalls, native tribes attacked the intruders, their food ran short (huntable game was NOT plentiful), some members of the expedition were untrustworthy, injuries and infection could prove fatal. They had to cut their own path through dense jungle in order to create a portage area around waterfalls they hadn’t anticipated. At one point they had to fell trees to build new canoes!

Then there were the dangerous animals: jaguar, venomous snakes, piranhas and the Anopheles mosquito which carried malaria. Oh, and their fellow adventurers posed a risk as well. One man frequently “stole” extra rations for himself, leaving the others with a quickly diminishing supply. Another’s dire health crisis resulted in his rations being cut off, “since he was going to die anyway.”

The book includes numerous photographs from the journey and other times in Roosevelt’s life. At the end of the story Seiple includes “Teddy’s Travel Tips” with notes on when to go, what to pack and what food and supplies one would need for such a journey. Additionally. she provides a timeline of career highlights in Roosevelt’s life.

It's a great introduction for the younger set on Theodore Roosevelt and this particular historic adventure. Now I need to read Candice Millard’s book about the same episode.

David de Vries does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. He has clear diction and a good pace for this nonfiction adventure story. However, listeners are encouraged to have a copy of the text handy to see the many photos, maps and lists.

Seed of Evil - Greg Beck - (Australia)
3★
There’s something growing deep in the old Angel Mine – Something the Native Americans warned us about – And now it’s rising again. Mitch Taylor, ex-Special Forces medic, is seeking a quiet life in the town of Eldon. Tragedy has dogged his life, and he sees the small friendly place as a second chance. But buried deep below the friendly smiles and quaint painted houses is an old abandoned mine that holds a legend of an ancient and terrible god.In the mine’s labyrinthine depths, something has been growing, something from a time of myth when ancient gods strode the Earth and mankind hadn’t even stood on two legs.But when the earth shakes and the groundwater rises, it reaches out and those it touches begin to deform and reshape into the image of their god. Their one goal—to feed their ancient master deep below the ground. Mitch Taylor soon finds himself fighting again, this time for the town, the ones he loves, and for his life.The Seed of Evil is a horrifying legend of an ancient god that turned out to be real.

The story had good bones, but it was too short...it needed to a full-length book instead of a novella. The entire book is 176 pages. This monster should have had a lot more! There wasn't enough background making what could have been what I had come to expect from a Greg Beck book...a fantastic story with a real nightmare of a monster. Instead, it just felt rushed and a bit incomplete. The hero of the story, Mitch was wishy-washy and so unwilling, or maybe unsure, to put his plans into action...questioning nearly every possible move. I kept thinking "Monsters don't come with instruction manuals...DO SOMETHING...ANYTHING!! He knew...or at least strongly suspected what was feasting on the citizens of this town, but he kept questioning everything that he came up with to stop it. I was almost convinced the monster was going to win this one. If you are a fan of Beck, the first 60% of this will be right up your alley. The last...just felt unfinished.

Beneath the Faceless Mountain / Roberta Rees.
2 stars

This was set in the Crowsnest Pass in Southern Alberta near the British Columbia border. During the early 20th century, there were a few interesting happenings in the area, but none was the focus of the book, though they were mentioned (a rock slide and a couple of coal mine disasters). I think the bulk of the story(ies?) - maybe all? - seemed to happen during WWII.

I initially thought it was short stories as I started reading – there were different characters in each chapter (at first); I also thought there were different time periods, but one of the characters from (what I thought was) one time period appeared in another later on. So, either time travel or I was mistaken on different time periods? Unlikely it was time travel! There were weird random pages/paragraphs (in different font) referring to “you” – none of that made sense to me. I thought this book was odd, and despite being in an area not too far from where I am and somewhere I’ve been, I did not like this. Likely a good reason for that is the writing style.

Breaking The Rules - Jodi Payne & B A Tortuga- (Colorado)
Triskelion series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance/BDSM
5★
Troy doesn’t know what he was thinking accepting a dinner invitation from a kid half his age, but everything feels right about their evening together, including Saul’s Dominant side. The rules for a twenty-five-year-old gay cowboy from years ago, though, are totally different than for a twenty-five year old college grad in Boulder now, and despite Saul’s confidence, Troy isn’t sure whether they can make it work. Saul and Troy manage to bend a good many rules in the name of caring and compromise, but in the name of love, there are some rules they’re just going to have to break.

Saul, twenty years younger than his lover, is a strong, patient, loving Dom who is just the man Troy needs. The dynamic of their relationship is beautiful and the strength they gain from each other is amazing. Neither man is without his faults, but together they work to build something that withstands anything that is thrown at them. The authors do a beautiful job of giving the reader everything they need to understand the ins and outs of who these men are. My only complaint is that the ending was a little abrupt. It left me with questions as to how, or if, the four men came together and if that interaction was good or bad for the couples. I’m believe that since I have read other books by these two authors and since this is the first book in the series, that the story will continue in book 2 of this series.

Plantation Shudders – Ellen Byron
Digital audiobook performed by Meredith Mitchell
3***

Book one in the Cajun Country cozy mystery series introduces the reader to Maggie Crozat and her family, who run an historic Louisiana plantation as a B&B. They’ve filled the inn with guests in town for the food festival. It’s an eclectic bunch, including elderly honeymooners, a trio of frat boys, and a group of women calling themselves the Cajun Cuties. But when two guests die of decidedly NOT natural causes, Maggie and her folks are suspects in murder.

This has all the hallmarks of a cozy mystery. A likeable amateur sleuth, romantic tension between the leading lady and the hunky cop, a gaggle of potential suspects, secrets galore, some delicious food and a loveable Basset hound named Gopher. And a few great recipes to whet the appetite.

Meredith Mitchell does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. She has a nice Southern accent and sets a good pace. I can practically smell the magnolias….

Becoming
By Michelle Obama
5/5 stars
This is a fascinating look at Michelle Obama’s life from her childhood growing up in Chicago, meeting Barack and through her role as First Lady of the White House. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it will definitely be on top of my favorites list.

Wendigo Road - Doug Goodman - (Montana)
Genera: Horror/Native American Legend
5★
Nobody drives Wendigo Road. But to return home to his wife and son, one Blackfeet warrior will be forced to brave this treacherous mountain road full of Native American monsters and raging wildfires. In this re-imagining of Homer's "The Odyssey," a band of soldiers volunteer to escort the legendary Blackfeet warrior home. When they discover abandoned children in a small Montana ghost town, their mission and their lives will be changed forever. Now they aren’t just fighting for survival, but for redemption.

It tells the story of a Native American war hero and Blackfeet Indian named Oran Old Chief. The narrative follows both he and a ragtag group of soldiers as they journey through the western American wasteland to return not only Oran's home, but to the homes of several of the other people. It was too bad that that we couldn't have been given a broader "picture" of the road, and to have expanded on some of the mythological aspects that take place, or were rumored to have taken place there. The world had obviously changed, since the undead and monsters entered through some kind of "rift" into our world. Readers that feast on mythology will have a buffet with this one. The Native lore is finely detailed, and the attention to character development is extremely well-done. There is a large and dynamic cast of characters, and the reader will see how much effort the author put into creating this world. It's filled with action and drama with some silliness, a slight hint of romance wrapped up nicely in a story you will remember long after you close the cover. Enjoy it it's a good book.

Making A Mark - Jodi Payne & BA Tortuga - (Colorado)
Triskelion series Book #2
Genera: M/M Romance/ Polygamous Relationship/ BDSM
5★
When Troy and Saul became lovers, they worried about a lot of things. There was their age gap, their younger Dom-older sub relationship, and Troy’s health, which was made worse by job stress. They managed all that and more with a deep commitment, and with a lot of help from Troy’s longtime best friends, fellow Dom and sub couple Carter and Geoff. In fact, Saul seems to be what all three of the other men need to see what’s all been there along, and to provide the balance they need to deepen their relationship in a very meaningful way. They’ve already made their marks on each other’s hearts. Now it’s time to start living the life they’ve all been dreaming of. Nothing is ever perfect or easy, though, and they all have to shift their perceptions. Geoff has to come to terms with his need for submission and desire to dominate Troy, and Carter must redefine the two most important relationships in his life. Troy struggles to understand why Geoff and Carter want this with him now, after years of watching from the outside. And Saul has to create a whole new definition of family. Can they all break the rules again and become something more special than they can even imagine?

The first book, , was the platform of forming the beautiful relationship between Troy and Saul. In this one, Troy and Saul’s journey takes a bit of an unexpected, but unsurprising, turn as they open themselves to a polygamous relationship with Troy’s best friends, Carter and his husband Geoff who is the artist behind Troy's Triskelion tats and Carter is Troy's boss at the diner. The dynamic between these four is intricate and complex, particularly Troy’s struggle with Carter’s rejection for so many years, of refusing to be Troy’s Dom, and choosing Geoff instead. Now that Carter and Geoff want him, Troy can’t help but wonder, why. Why now? Why not before? Troy’s commitment to, and his need for Saul, solidly remains unchanged. Saul continues to provide Troy with the unwavering acceptance, dedication, and love he’s shown Troy from the first day they met. Saul chose Troy and there has never been any looking back. Saul is unquestionably what draws these men together...what makes the difference. The reader will empathize with Troy...be irritated with Carter and Geoff...and keep fingers crossed for Saul. In the end you can see how these men all end up where they belong with what they deserve. The relationship these four guys share is what makes Making a Mark so fascinating. Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga have delivered a story of making "four out of two" while keeping the "two's" firmly devoted to each other. We also learn a bit more about the meaning and import of the triskelia that covers Troys body that Geoff inks for Troy. Although building on the story as a continuation from Breaking the Rules, book 1, Making The Mark is different from book one...but it remains just as absorbing, impactful, and most importantly, enjoyable. These books really do need to be read in order. There is only 3 of them...but I do SO wish there were more.

Always the Almost - Edward Underhill - (Wisconsin)
Genera: YA Fiction/Transitioning
5★
Shane broke up with Miles two weeks after Miles came out as trans, and now Shane’s stubbornly ignoring him, even when they literally bump into each other. Plus, Miles’ new, slightly terrifying piano teacher keeps telling him that he’s playing like he “doesn’t know who he is” ...whatever that means. Then Miles meets the new boy in town, Eric Mendez, a proudly queer cartoonist from Seattle who asks his pronouns, cares about art as much as he does―and makes his stomach flutter. Not what he needs to be focusing on right now. But after Eric and Miles pretend to date so they can score an invite to a couples-only Valentine’s party, the ruse turns real with a kiss, which is also definitely not in the plan. If only Miles could figure out why Eric likes him so much. After all, it's not like he’s cool or confident or comfortable in his own skin. He’s not even good enough at piano to get his fellow competitors to respect him, especially now, as Miles. Nothing’s ever been as easy for him as for other people―other boys. He’s only ever been almost enough. So why, when he’s with Eric, does it feel like the only person he’s ever really not been enough for...is himself?

Another favorite book of my older kids. Miles is sixteen and has two goals for the year. 1. To beat his rival at the Tri-State Piano Competition, and 2. To win back his ex-boyfriend. Miles Jacobson, a White trans boy from Wisconsin, had been dating Shane McIntyre for a year before Miles came out and Shane broke up with him. He believes that if Shane really loved him, his gender shouldn’t matter. Miles’ New Year’s resolution to win Shane back is complicated by the arrival of Eric Mendez, a cute Latina guy who actually is queer and also likes Miles. As Miles works toward his piano goals with Stefania Smith, his demanding new teacher, a romance blossoms with Eric, even though Miles still has Shane on his mind. The author makes it clear that this is a happy ever after queer story, and it does live up to that promise. The story captures the delight of being not just accepted, but better yet...being understood. It also shows that being misunderstood can cause pain that may take years to recover from, but sometimes can be carried an entire lifetime. Miles’ real triumphs are celebrated. Everything from him finding a decent suit that actually fits and doesn't make him "look like a well-dressed dork", to mastering a Tchaikovsky concerto. Miles is an absolute sweetheart that is so likable as he tries to discover who he is on his own terms...not based on what others think of him. The author has chosen to include Miles’ birth name. This could be in some cases uncomfortable, but it could also be realistic for someone early in their transition. The supporting characters are well done and fit perfectly in Miles' story.

The Revolt of Sarah Perkins by Marian Cockrell
310 pages - ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

A delightful reread! Visiting Sarah, Alice, and Luke is like visiting old friends. Our story starts with Luke, a widower in 1869, who is the president of the local school board. He's upset, as his little town of Belle City, Wyoming, has lost yet another school teacher to matrimony. He comes up with a plan - ask the applicants for pictures and hire the homeliest one. When the pictures - er - applications - arrive, he is disappointed. A few are too pretty, one is too mean looking, and one has a light in her eye. One looks patient and resigned - Sarah Perkins. Sarah has taught her brother's children, and on a whim, decided to apply and was hired. The townspeople were relieved - they had a permanent teacher. Sarah arrived in town, and within a week, has caused enough trouble to have a town meeting called. They soon learned that when Sarah feels strongly about something, she can make it happen - whether it is requiring money to be spent on the school or allowing a Native American child to attend school.

I have a long history with this book. My mom read it in the 1960's when it was published and loved it. She had my dad read it, and he loved it. I remember him laughing out loud at it - he especially loved the part where Sarah makes Luke read from the school book about "bad, willful Ned" being eaten by a hungry hyena because of his misdeeds. I read the book in high school, and a few more times since then. I think it has aged fairly well, and Cockrell's dry humor has also aged well. (Cockrell wrote for several TV shows, including Batman.) Delightful!

So Pretty - Ronnie Turner - (New York)
Genera: Horror
5★
Fear blisters through this town like a fever…When Teddy Colne arrives in the small town of Rye, he believes he will be able to settle down and leave his past behind him. Little does he know that fear blisters through the streets like a fever. The locals tell him to stay away from an establishment known only as Berry & Vincent, that those who rub too closely to its proprietor risk a bad end. Despite their warnings, Teddy is desperate to understand why Rye has come to fear this one man, and to see what really hides behind the doors of his shop. Ada moved to Rye with her young son to escape a damaged childhood and years of never fitting in, but she’s lonely, and ostracised by the community. Ada is ripe for affection and friendship, and everyone knows it. As old secrets bleed out into this town, so too will a mystery about a family who vanished fifty years earlier, and a community living on a knife edge.

This is the story of three very different people, each of them loners, who have been drawn together by some strange and twisted turn of fate. Its presence in each of their lives unleashes something quite intense and often uncontrollable. It’s also a story of obsession and the overwhelming need for possession. Actually, the entire story will many times make your skin crawl. Teddy is a young man who moves to Rye hoping to make a new start. He begins work at a shop called Berry & Vincent...a strange place that is filled with all manner of antiques and curiosities. The local people rush by the shop, but for visitors to the town it holds a strange, eerie fascination. Something about the place, and it's strange, uncommunicative owner, Mr. Vincent attracts Teddy also. Some of the scenes between the two of them feel very uncomfortable but still, strangely compelling. The way they start to impact each other results in the steadily increasing sense of unease that runs through this novel. The third person who makes up this unusual and ultimately destructive trio, is a young mother, Ada, who, with her son, Albie, moves to Rye for a fresh start. Like Teddy and Mr. Vincent, Ada lives a rather solitary life, with no real friends or people looking out for her, other than her father, and that will be, in part, the root of all of their undoing. With these three characters, the author has created a story which will produce a whole host of emotions and feelings. I initially felt sympathy for Teddy who is running from his past. He tried to fit in and not draw attention to himself. However, there is far more to Teddy than first appears... and working along with Mr. Vincent soon changes his personality. Soon those little quirks come boiling up to the surface. Mr. Vincent has little to say, but his interactions with Teddy will speak volumes without a single word being uttered. There was something not quite right about him that comes across right from the start. A dark side...which is slowly uncovered...scenes and revelations which will cause anger and disgust, which adds a layer of tragedy to an already disturbing tale. Ada is a stark contrast to the pair and this, and Albie’s delightful innocence lend a small ray of light to the dark and consuming shadows of Berry & Vincent. The chapters are short and they alternate between Ada and Teddy’s points of view. The differences of the personalities bring into the question of whether a person is born bad or becomes bad through circumstance...the old nature verses nurture question is strong and perfectly explored. There is also that sense that environment is a key factor in the slow descent into a kind of madness that envelops one of the characters. Be prepared to be surprised and held captive by this book.

The Turtle Warrior – Mary Relindes Ellis
5*****

In 1967, the Lucas family, living in a remote corner of northern Wisconsin, is brutalized by their alcoholic father. Their neighbors, Rosemary and Ernie Morriseau, watch and offer a safe haven for the two boys: James and Bill. When James enlists at age seventeen and goes to Vietnam, nine-year-old Billy has only the protection of a turtle-shell shield and a wooden sword to keep him from harm. It will be a long and fraught journey to manhood for the sensitive Billy.

What a marvelous debut! Ellis writes with grace and style. She alternates point of view between Ernie, Rosemary, Claire, James and Billy, featuring a different narrator from chapter to chapter. In this way we learn dribs and drabs of the whole story, exploring the ways that personalities are formed or twisted, how a character can be broken and heal, how a marriage can survive or dissolve.

I loved Ernie and Rosemary; their quiet strength and willingness to continue offering support and refuge despite the many times they were turned down showed their sterling character.

And Billy … poor, innocent, damaged Billy. Trying to make sense of the senseless. Yearning for love and attention from people incapable of giving it. Many a time I worried he would be as lost as his brother and father, would succumb to the rage and fear. Powerless to lash out at those who hurt him, he follows his father’s path towards alcoholism. And yet …

Some wounds leave scars, and even faded scars are reminders of the pain. If we are lucky those reminders keep us focused on the positive and help us work to ensure we don’t cause wounds on ourselves or others. There are some horrific scenes in this book, and it is an emotionally difficult read. But the reader who can get through the horror will be rewarded with a hopeful ending.

The Long Run - James Acker - (New Jersey)
Genera: Young Adult fiction/M/M Romance
4★
Two track and field athletes find an unexpected but powerful love in this unapologetically blunt and unforgettably real YA debut. Sebastian Villeda is over it. Over his rep. Over his bros. Over being "Bash the Flash," fastest sprinter in South Jersey. His dad is gone, his mom is dead, and his stepfather is clueless. Bash has no idea what he wants out of life. Until he meets Sandro. Sandro Miceli is too nice for his own good. The middle child in an always-growing, always-screaming Italian family, Sandro walks around on a broken foot to not bother his busy parents. All he wants is to get out and never look back. When fate in the form of a party that gets busted, brings these two very different boys together, neither of them could’ve predicted finding a love that they’d risk everything for.

The story is a coming-of-age romance between two high school athletes in New Jersey. Sebastian Villeda, known as "Bash the Flash", and Sandro Miceli, called the "Italian Yeti", know of one another from school but they move in different circles in spite of them both being athletes. Black and Mexican "Bash" is a track captain, and Italian American Sandro, is a field captain, but they are as different as night and day...at least in the ways they’re perceived by most people. "Bash" has lost his mother, and since he started exploring the Spanish language, he has a word for how he feels: cansado, or tired, weary, or miserable, take your pick. His White stepfather works nights, so the two don’t spend much time together. Sandro, on the other hand, has a large family, but amid the crowded, noisy chaos of eight family members sharing a single bathroom, his overworked parents hardly ever talk to him. As the two seniors come together, they realize they have more in common than they’d thought, and an unlikely friendship starts turning into something more. The boys’ backgrounds and upbringings are fresh and intriguing and really lets us see the characters for who they wish to become. At times it did seem that they lacked the depth you would expect from two people in love, causing their relationship to lack the expected chemistry. It is NOT in any way a bad or uninteresting book. and it is a Young Adult novel, so perhaps I'm viewing it with a different perspective than a 16-year-old would. It is a beautiful story of love and friendship, and I'm glad my library gave my group of kids a chance to meet "Bash" and "Sandro".

Sidelined - Kara Bietz - (Texas)
Narrator: Jason Keller
Genera: Y/A Fiction/M/M Romance
4.5★
An emotional YA romance about small town secrets, and high school football. Julian Jackson has a short to-do list for his senior year at Crenshaw County High School in Meridien, Texas: football, football, and more football. He knows he's only got one chance to earn a college scholarship and make it out of his small town, and keeping his head down, his grades up, and his cleats on the field is that one chance. And then Elijah Vance walks back into his life, throwing all of his carefully laid plans into a tailspin. Elijah and Julian used to be best friends, maybe even on their way to something more than just friends. But three years ago, Elijah broke into the school to steal money from the coach's office, and Julian was the one who turned him in. After that, Elijah and his family disappeared without a trace. And now he's back, sitting at Julian's grandmother's kitchen table. But time and distance haven't erased all of their feelings, and Elijah knows that he finally has a chance to prove to Julian that he's not the same person he was three years ago. But with secrets still growing between them and an uncertain future barreling towards them, it may be harder to lean on each other than they thought.

It's Homecoming time in Meridien, Texas, and everyone is watching quarterback Julian Jackson and his long-lost once best friend and teammate, Elijah Vance. Elijah was a once-promising defensive player and until three years ago the two boys were "joined at the hip"...inseparable. Then, as often happens, Elijah and his family moved away without any explanation or even saying goodbye.... but Julian knows the "why" of it. Now that he’s back and unresolved feelings are stirred up between them just as the biggest game of the season against their rival high school team is coming up. This is a really well-done sports romance that includes all the pomp and gala of small-town Texas with not a single trace of homophobia. When it comes to their sexuality, both main characters experience nothing but love and support from their community, including their local pastor and...are you ready for this???...His Husband! There is tension but it focuses on their families’ intertwined histories...perceptions of teen pregnancy...and the pressure of upholding the tradition of a local rivalry with the rival football team. Some clues in the text describe secondary and background characters that indicate some ethnic diversity, which isn't a surprise for Texas...but gender representation remains solid. The book was a pleasure to read... written in first-person with chapters that alternate between the perspectives of Elijah and those of Julian, both of whom are presumed to be White. It's the "will-they", "won’t-they" suspense that moves the story along...but it moves almost too fast at some points, making the reader want/need a few more chapters...with the conclusion being a bit abrupt. Overall, it's a well written engrossing story of two guys discovering who and what they are and what they can be.

>2 Carol420: What an adorable kitty!!

>23 BookConcierge: I love Jim Dale's narration of the Harry Potter books! My son and I listened to these years ago when I used to drive him to school.

>40 Jenson_AKA_DL: I had to use the picture. It looked like my "Anna May" that had me when I was a kid. People never HAVE cats...cats always HAVE them:)

Killing Mr. Griffin
Lois Duncan
4/5 stars
A group of students in Mr. Griffin's class are tired of his berating them. So, a few of them decide to prank him and they tie him up and kidnap him. Unfortunately, things go horribly wrong and now they have to cover up their tracks. Very well written and a fast read!

The World As He Sees It A. M. Arthur - (Pennsylvania)
Perspectives series Book #2
Genera: M/M Romance
5★
Love knows no limits…but fear could keep them from seeing it. Gabe lives a double life. As Gabriel Henson, he works multiple jobs to support his remorseless, alcoholic mother. As Tony Ryder, he does internet porn for extra cash and regular safe sex without complications. Yet when he encounters a scared young man freaking out in a night club, he’s compelled to reach out. Ever since then, the memory of that young man has haunted him. Tristan Lavelle lives his life thirty minutes at a time. After a traumatic brain injury three years ago, he gets through his day recording his life in spiral notebooks and sticky note reminders. A month after Tristan’s embarrassingly public meltdown, another chance meeting with Gabe sparks a warm, emotionally fulfilling email relationship. Both men crave more, but fear of the next step stands between them. Until Tristan gets the opportunity to take part in a clinical trial that could improve his memory—if the side effects don’t kill him. But for Tristan, the possibility of a real life with Gabe is worth any risk.

Tristan is Noel's friend who sustained a life changing brain injury when they were attacked three years ago. Gabe rescued Tristan when he was having one of his frequent memory loss episodes in a bar. Neither could forgot the other. Gabe is interested and patient with the vivacious Tristan, which is what he needs.... especially the patience part. A new drug trial is starting that may help Tristan and he is willing to do whatever he can to regain even a small amount of his memories...but of course there are side effects, some yet unknown, some downright scary. As the two men get to know one another more, they learn that they each have problems and life challenges. Gabe supports his alcoholic mother by working three jobs...one is in porn. The porn job brings in good money, but there still never seems to be enough. There are several threads going on, each weaving a beautiful tale of two men who were fortunate enough to find someone who comforts them...who doesn't judge them...and who can thoroughly love them for just who they are. The reader can easily feel the frustrations Tristan has with his memory issues, and we can also deeply feel the love and devotion Gabe has for him.

Doctor To The Dead - John Bennett - (South Carolina)
Genera: Paranormal/Southern Folk Tale
4★
Twice-told tales about historic Charleston: "You ask for a story. I will tell you one, fact for fact and true for true." So, begins "Crook-Neck Dick," one of twenty-three stories in this beguiling collection of Charleston lore. John Bennett's interpretations of the legends shared with him by African-descended Charlestonians have entertained generations. Among them are tales of ghosts, conjuring, superhuman feats, and supernatural powers; accounts of ingenuity, humor, terror, mystery, and solidarity will enchant folklorists, students of Charleston history, and all those who love a good ghost story.

A chilling 240-page book that consists of supernatural stories that probably have been told countless times on a dark night by a campfire, or anywhere that there was a willing audience wishing for a good ghost story that leaves the question open as to is it real or is it fiction? They originate primarily from the Negro folk stories of old southern heritage from Charleston, South Carolina. These stories are tales of death...of mystery...and of bizarre incredibility's. It's composed of four long narratives, and eighteen short sketches, that range from diabolic influence, to demanding unrelenting ghosts...buried treasure...enchantments...miracles...visitations...and the dead that are dead but certainly not entirely dead. The tales are said to be based on a leading Charleston physician who falls in love with the ghost of a woman long since dead and buried. He becomes so obsessed with the condition of the dead in general that he ostracizes the conventional medical community and devotes the rest of his life to their care. They're not your average ghost stories in spite of the description, but anyone that loves history, especially southern history with a huge ghostly twist, will find this book fascinating. I found that the dialogue in which the stories were told to be a bit tedious to follow, and I was born and raised in the south.... hence the 4-star rating.

Seven Fallen Feathers / Tanya Talaga
4.5 stars

There are all kinds of issues on indigenous reservations in Canada. Education is just one of them. In 2000(?), a group of indigenous people built and started running a high school in Thunder Bay, Ontario for those students living north who didn’t have a high school to go to. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before some of those kids – many who were away from home for the first time, who had never been in a city before, a new culture, a new language, no (or not many) family or friends to help – started disappearing. And dying. Over 11 years, seven teenagers died.

The Thunder Bay police did very little to help, often not even contacting the families on the reserves to let them know their kids had disappeared. In some cases, they went too long before starting to look for the kids. Five of the kids were found in the river, and in most cases, just written off as “no foul play suspected”. But the indigenous people running the school, the families and friends question this. It was so unlike these kids to just get drunk and drown in the river. It has never really been figured out what exactly happened to these kids.

Wow, this is so sad. And aggravating that not enough is being done to help the indigenous kids and their communities. It’s an eye-opener and definitely worth reading. There are some repetitive bits and the author kind of went all over the place sometimes – between telling the kids’ stories, then working in other information about other people or communities. But really worth the read.

Beautiful Joe / Marshall Saunders
3.5 stars

Beautiful Joe was a dog (apparently a real dog) who was abused by his owner (along with his mother and siblings, who were all killed), but was rescued by some local kids after Joe’s owner cut off his ears and tail. Joe hit the jackpot with his new family, especially soft-hearted Miss Laura who took good care of Joe and all the other animals the family had. When Miss Laura went off to a relative’s farm for a summer, Joe went with her and learned about the farm animals, as well.

The book was told from Beautiful Joe’s point of view. I enjoyed this (mostly), but it did get preachy at times. I completely agree with it all, but even so, it still felt a bit preachy to me. Many of the characters in the story were almost too good to be true, but at the same time, I think the book (originally published in 1893) was trying to teach kids not to be cruel to animals – they have feelings and feel pain, too. Interesting that it is actually a woman who wrote this: Margaret Marshall Saunders.

Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna – Alda P Dobbs
4****

Set during the Mexican Revolution of 1913, this novel is based on the author’s family history. When he was forcibly taken by federal troops to join the war, thirteen-year-old Petra promised her father that she would keep the family together until they could be reunited. Now those same Federales have burned her village and she, her grandmother, younger sister, Amelia, and baby brother, Luisito, must flee across the desert.

This is a marvelous story of courage in the face of adversity, easily enjoyed by middle-school children as well as adults. Petra is a wonderful character: strong, intelligent, observant, loyal, resourceful and a born leader. She is NOT going to be one of the women her grandmother insists she is destined to become: subservient, obedient, quiet, content to be at home caring for her husband and children. No, Petra has bigger dreams. She will learn to read and to care for herself.

On their dangerous trek towards the promised safety of the “other side” (i.e. the United States), Petra encounters a few people who help her and who nourish her dreams. She also learns from her grandmother’s experience, and always keeps in mind her promise to her father.

Petra carries her most treasured possession with her: a lump of coal her father brought her from the mine he worked. He explained how diamonds are formed by the pressure exerted on such black rocks. Petra contemplates how the pressures she is enduring are also forming her strong character. Like her rock, she is a “baby diamond” who will one day sparkle and shine.

Dobbs includes notes about how her own great-grandmother related her story of fleeing their village for the safety of the United States. Those stories sparked curiosity and Dobbs went searching for confirming details in recorded news accounts of the day. She includes a timeline of Mexican history leading to the critical events depicted in the book.

A Flaw in the Design - Nathan Oates - (Vermont)
Genera: Thriller
5★
The cleverest psychopaths hide in plain sight. Gil is living a quiet life as a creative writing professor in a bucolic Vermont town, when he receives some shocking news: His sister and her husband have been killed in a car accident, and their only son is coming to live with him and his family. Gil and his wife are apprehensive about taking in seventeen-year-old Matthew. Yes, he has just lost both his parents, but they haven’t seen him in seven years—and the last time the families were together, Matthew lured their young daughter into a terrifying, life-threatening situation. Since that incident, Gil has been estranged from his sister and her flashy, wealthy banker husband. Now Matthew is their charge, living under their roof. The boy seems charming, smart, and urbane, if strangely unaffected by his parents’ deaths. Gil hopes they can put the past behind them, though he’s surprised when Matthew signs up for his creative writing class. Then Matthew begins turning in chilling stories about the imagined deaths of Gil’s family and his own parents. Bewildered and panicked, Gil ultimately decides he must take matters into his own hands—before life imitates art.

Gil's life has been idyllic for more than a decade after making the move from New York City to the countryside of Vermont and becoming an English professor at a local college. He now lives a peaceful life with his wife and two daughters...until his nephew comes to stay. I will give Nathan Oates credit...He without out a doubt has won the "creep award" for creating the most despicable, unlikeable, character I believe I have ever met in the nephew, Matthew. Gil's estranged sister and her husband who have been killed in an auto accident have, much to Gil's surprise, left guardianship of their teenage son Matthew to him, even though Mathew was the culprit behind the falling out between Gil and his sister seven years before. But now Matthew seems to be changed, showing little of the sinister boy he previously was. He is seemingly now charming, capable of lulling those around him into a false sense of security. Gil, however, still harbors some guilt as well as anger toward the boy, not forgetting the day in which he put his daughter's life in danger. Gil hopes he's wrong, but he starts to suspect ulterior motives, especially after Matthew enrolls in one of his creative writing classes. The stories Matthew is turning in are disturbing stories with details that are too close to reality for comfort. When it seems that events may progress further, Gil feels he must take matters into his own hands in order to protect himself and his family and expose the truth that he's always suspected about his nephew. The story is an excellently crafted mind-bending puzzle, that leads readers down a rabbit hole of paranoia surrounding Gil and Matthew.

Making the Rules - Jodi Payne & B A Tortuga - (Colorado)
Triskelion series Book #3
Genera: M/M Romance/Foursome/BDSM
5★
The rules are changing as Saul and Troy and their good friends and lovers Geoff and Carter are figuring out how they all fit together in their evolving relationship. Subs Geoff and Troy test the limits of both their friendship and their Doms’ patience as they discover new things about each other, and Doms Carter and Saul wrestle with how to be the men their subs need and still become lovers in their own right. As they all push boundaries trying to decide how to move forward, Troy begins to feel like he’s constantly one step behind and he’s having trouble keeping up with his lovers. He’s unsure how much more change he can accept, so when a tragedy strikes, it threatens to completely overwhelm him. Geoff, Carter, and Saul all come together to help Troy cope, and to figure out what he needs. But what they soon discover is they have to understand what they each desire more deeply, and that making the rules is all about that balance.

I felt so much for Troy in this one. A tragedy strikes Troy right to his very core and the memories from his past ...are gone forever. He feels more lost and alone than he's ever felt before in spite of the care from his three guys. Saul, Geoff and Carter are there for him as always, but you feel like even though the men that he loves and loves him will always support him, it may not be enough this time. The four guys are still in the midst of building something brand new at the beginning of this story. Luckily, the power exchange relationships that all are involved in, means they understand the importance of true, honest communication. That doesn’t mean everything is effortless, however, or that the communication is always easy. Troy’s high anxiety is the "elephant in the room", the heart and soul of the problems that still face their dynamic, and that was true even before the tragedy had occurred. In a way, this trilogy functions as an extended book, making the dark moment that occurs early in this one the dark moment for the entire trilogy. This makes the rebuild afterward much more satisfying as a whole. A relationship that involves four people, even between two primary couples, means six very distinct connections that require care and attention. I loved the brand-new experiences that bond Carter and Saul together as much as I enjoyed the resolution of a lingering issue between Troy and Carter. From the very beginning, Jodi Payne and B.A. Tortuga let us know that nothing about this relationship will be a traditional romance, and this holds true for the conclusion. These writers have excelled at creating scenes and characters that are intimate and sexy, and believable. I’m more than satisfied with the conclusion to the story but of course, wish there was more. I bought the three books and I reread a lot, so I know that I’ll return to these amazing characters for more than one re-read in the future.

Inheritance: A Visual Poem – Elizabeth Acevedo
Illustrated by Andrea Pippin.
4****

“Some people tell me to ‘fix’ my hair
And by fix, they mean straighten;
They mean whiten”

A wonderful essay told in verse of the Afro-Latinidad experience, when even other Dominicans have “swallowed amnesia” because “it is easier” than living ”in this reality.” In this short work she addresses more than just hair; she tackles skin tone, slavery, relationships, immigration, prejudice, power and self-worth.

Pippin’s illustrations are wonderful – so colorful and detailed. They include eye-popping graphics and occasional focus on just one strand of curly hair.

“Some people tell me to fix my hair …
All I can reply is
You can’t fix what was never broken.”

All That Is Mine I Carry With Me - William Landay - (Massachusetts)
Genera: Mystery/Thriller/Cold Case Investigation
5★
One afternoon in November 1975, ten-year-old Miranda Larkin comes home from school to find her house eerily quiet. Her mother is missing. Nothing else is out of place. There is no sign of struggle. Her mom’s pocketbook remains in the front hall, in its usual spot. So begins a mystery that will span a lifetime. What happened to Jane Larkin?

I had wanted to read this offering by this wonderful author of one of my favorite books, Defending Jacob...for a while, when a review by a friend helped to move it up on by reading list...and I am so glad that it did. I think if there was just one single book that I could recommend this year...it would, without a doubt, be this one. It's a devastating family drama that stretches out over 18-years. Jane Larkin vanishes, leaving her three children to wonder if their father could be a murderer. It’s 2015, and author Philip Solomon has spent two years in search of an idea for his next project. Inspiration finally strikes while he’s out for drinks with his childhood friend, Jeff Larkin, one of Jane's sons. In 1975, Jeff’s younger sister, Miranda, came home from school to find their Newton, Massachusetts, home locked and her mother, Jane, gone. Jane’s purse was still in the front hall, so Miranda assumed she was just running an errand, but strange to not take her purse. Hours passed, though, and Jane has still failed to return before night comes. The rest of the Larkin family, Miranda’s brothers, Jeff and Alex, and her father, Dan... have arrived home, but still no Jane. The police and Jane’s sister, Kate, immediately suspect Dan, who was no paragon of virtue, but was a known greedy, philandering criminal defense attorney, of foul play...but, there was no proof, therefore the district attorney couldn’t charge Dan with anything, and as you would suspect...the investigation went cold. Then, eighteen Years later, 1993...construction workers find a body...not just any body, but Jane’s body. Other than the undisputed fact that the body was obviously dead, and it didn't bury itself...it provided not a single clue. Jane's children are now adults and stand divided. Alex believes his father's claims of innocence, while Jeff and Miranda do not. Although the novel begins with Phil as its narrator, William Landay breaks the Larkins’ tale into a series of “books,” each set in a different era of the case and featuring a different storyteller and style. This approach allows the author to explore how Jane’s disappearance...and Dan’s presumed guilt...impacts key players over the course of their lives. However, it also leaves most characters only half-drawn but... this may be what Landry intended as it allows the reader the satisfaction of drawing them themselves when we are forced to face the devastating impact that doubt and suspicion can have on a family. You have to read right until the end of the book to get the answers...and I'm certain each reader will get different ones.

No Limits - Nora Phoenix
No Shame series Book #2
Genera: M/M Romance/Multi couples
4.5★
Josh served his country and he paid the price. A self-proclaimed basket case, he can’t imagine anyone would be interested in him. Especially not sexy, built-like-a-freaking-wall Connor. Connor does want him, however, and the bossy cop with the massive equipment is the perfect match for Josh, even if Connor is a newbie at relationships. And bedroom activities. Bossy meets submissive, massive equipment meets eager recipient. But when Connor’s past endangers Josh’s special friend Indy, Josh has to make an impossible choice. Love...or friendship?

Josh is a quiet man. He has endured some really horrendous things in his past. He service in the military ended on a sour note, through no fault of his own. Since he was sharpshooter/sniper, he watched helplessly from afar while his best friend and lover was blown up. He and Noah have always had each other’s backs. The were friends-with-benefits but that was changing now that Noah had Indy in his life and his heart. It was time for Josh to give it a try but how could he possibly do that when he was so trapped by his PTSD? When Officer O’Connor came back to the house he was taken by surprise, something he doesn’t do well with. When the man wants to ask him out on a date he is overwhelmed and shuts down. When he discovers Connor, the name the cop prefers to be called, has left while he was “out of it” he realizes he has blown what might be his best and only shot at the gorgeous man. Josh then does the unthinkable. He goes to the police station to talk to Connor. “No Limits” is the continuing story of how Josh, Noah and Indy decide if they can let Connor into their lives. Book#1 needs to be read first to really understand where the story is going. This one was a bit confusing at times with so many things going on, so many feelings and so many intermingling relationships. Can't help but love these boys but a few issues still nagged. Hopefully ironing out the kinks in book #3 could really skyrocket this series.

The House on Mango Street – Sandra Cisneros
Audiobook read by the author
5*****

This is the story of Esperanza Cordero who lives in a poor section of Chicago and struggles to stay in school. At the time it was published there were few coming-of-age stories that portrayed people of color and the challenges of living in an inner city.

Cisneros began her writing career as a poet and those roots clearly show in the book. The short chapters are vignettes of Esperanza’s life. She witnesses the neighbors who fight, the boys who look at her, the women who nurture, the shopkeepers who are kind and those who sneer, the teachers who encourage young dreams, the effects of poverty and lack of education, and the promise of more. Esperanza talks about her feelings – how happy she is to have a garden to play in, how frightened of the man who gives off a bad vibe, how envious of an older girl who “paints her Egyptian eyes,” how frustrated by a younger sister, how embarrassed by her poverty.

My sister-in-law introduced me to Cisneros' works, and I immediately fell in love with the author. There is something about her writing that just speaks to my soul. I recommended her works to two book clubs who found them to have "too much Spanish," but when I recently suggested Cisneros to a book group that focuses on Latinx authors, she found an appreciative audience.

I've read this book (and the companion Woman Hollering Creek) at least 3 times.

Cisneros narrated the audiobook herself. She has a perfect “young” voice for Esperanza: eager and curious and sad and confused and sassy and happy and hopeful.

UPDATED review: I rated it 5***** when I first read it in 1995. I had not read anything like it before and it made a big impact on me. I won’t lower the rating now, though I would probably give it 4**** today.

A Walk in the Dark / Pamela Kiami
4 stars

Vanessa goes for a walk one evening and meets Howard; she and Howard fall fast for each other, although Howard has just landed a job that will take him to the U.S. (they are in England). Meanwhile, Vanessa’s best friend Sam has just found out her husband has been cheating on her and will be leaving; she is a wreck. In the news, women around the city have been turning up murdered; a serial killer is on the loose. Add in that Vanessa also found a new job, with a nice boss who likes her.

There were times I was just annoyed with Vanessa and her reactions to Sam (and to some of the other characters). I guess she was being a bit selfish with her new romance happening, so maybe a bit understandable, but I was still annoyed with her. I was able to figure out what was going on fairly early on, but I still quite enjoyed the story.

The Bishop's Pawn - Steve Berry - (Florida)
Cotton Malone series Book #13
Genera: Thriller/Mystery & Suspense
5★
History notes that the ugly feud between J. Edgar Hoover and Martin Luther King, Jr., marked by years of illegal surveillance and the accumulation of secret files, ended on April 4, 1968 when King was assassinated by James Earl Ray. But that may not have been the case. Now, fifty years later, former Justice Department agent, Cotton Malone, must reckon with the truth of what really happened that fateful day in Memphis. It all turns on an incident from eighteen years ago, when Malone, as a young Navy lawyer, is trying hard not to live up to his burgeoning reputation as a maverick. When Stephanie Nelle, a high-level Justice Department lawyer, enlists him to help with an investigation, he jumps at the opportunity. But he soon discovers that two opposing forces―the Justice Department and the FBI―are at war over a rare coin and a cadre of secret files containing explosive revelations about the King assassination, information that could ruin innocent lives and threaten the legacy of the civil rights movement’s greatest martyr. Malone’s decision to see it through to the end--from the raucous bars of Mexico to the clear waters of the Dry Tortugas, and ultimately into the halls of power within Washington D.C. itself--not only changes his own life, but the course of history.

The Bishop's Pawn is the 13th book in the very intriguing and entertaining Cotton Malone series. Cotton is sent by his handler, Stephanie Nelle to retrieve an extremely rare coin from an underwater wreck off the coast of southern Florida. He finds more than he bargained for when in addition to the coin, he discovers a file containing information about "COINTELPRO", a counter-intelligence program that was run by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. The F.B.I.'s entirely possible involvement in the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King now is also on the plate. The story focuses almost entirely on Cotton Malone’s point of view, but also explores his past as a Naval Lieutenant and JAG lawyer as he is now focusing on a new career with the Justice Department. I was totally unprepared for the ending of the novel or how many twists and turns the plot took. While there are parts of the story based on truth and other parts are fictional, it isn’t based on any conspiracy theories. When I finished the book, I did think this an event that changed the face of America, both politics and life.

The Last Midwife – Sandra Dallas
3.5***

Gracy Brookens is the only midwife in the small Colorado mining town where she and her husband live. She’s delivered hundreds, if not thousands of babies, and the women of Swandyke trust and depend on her. But when a baby is found dead, and the father accuses Gracy of killing the child, she has to face the fact that some people in town are NOT on her side.

I was interested in the birthing stories, and in the ways in which Gracy worked among both the men and women of the community. With her knowledge of herbs and home remedies, her calm, steady presence in a crisis, and her willingness to attend to anyone, she’s the one who’s always been called upon, whether it’s to birth a baby, help treat a fever or stitch up a wound. She’s a marvelously strong woman, and over the course of the novel we learn a few of her own heartaches and how she’s overcome and persevered.

I liked the relationship between Gracy and her husband, Daniel. This is a good marriage, not a perfect one, and they certainly have their ups and downs. I also liked the friendship between the Brookens and sheriff John Miller, and the friendship between Gracy and the young woman, Mittie.

I actually guessed the big reveal fairly early on, but Dallas put plenty of red herrings in the story to make me question my assumptions. There were times when I thought the whole murder mystery was a bit too contrived, but it certainly held my attention. My F2F book club will be discussing it in December and I’m eager to hear what others thought of it.

The Heart as He Hears It - A. M. Arthur -(Pennsylvania)
Perspective Series Book #3
Genera: M/M Romance/Life Altering Event
Narrator: Gary Locke
4.5 ★
While most of his friends have moved on to "real" careers, Jon Buchanan is content skating through life as a part-time waiter and gay porn star. Firmly single thanks to a previous relationship disaster, he focuses his spare time on Henry, a dear friend dying of cancer. And with Henry's happiness.

This is book #3 in the Perspective Series. Each of the book's themes touch on love, tragedy and disability. They are all "story" driven, with intense plots and well-developed characters that have real connections with the characters around them. Jon Buchanan works as a waiter and a gay porn star. Left reeling from an abusive relationship, he struggles with anorexia and poor self-esteem. He works hard to focus on staying healthy. Henry is Jon’s constant, the father figure that took the place of Jon’s biological father when his family asked him to leave....and Henry is dying of cancer. He has also just found out that he has a grandson, the son of a son that he never knew he had. Henry wants/needs to make connections with this grandson before he dies. Jon would do anything for Henry, including tracking down an elusive, almost reclusive, man who doesn’t seem to want to be found. Jon is an incredibly down-to-earth character; he is mature, knows his own faults, and would do anything for those he loves. Now...meet Issaac. Isaac is twenty-two and a total shut in. Surviving a severely abusive childhood has left him suffering from extreme agoraphobia...he cannot even open the front door without being affected by it. He doesn't own a phone, he orders groceries online, and has no contact with anyone, not even the family he has left. Everything about his day is and must be, ordered and predictable. That's how he copes with being alive…until his aunt brings a man named Henry who claims to be his grandfather into his life. He knows that Henry is the father of the man who abused him. Along with Henry is Henry's friend, Jon. Jon doesn't believe in terms like “love at first sight” or “insta-love” , so how can he feel an instant connection to a near-stranger? Nothing rational could explain it as anything more than simple physical attraction. Instant connection and an urgent desire to touch and know everything there was possible to know about someone? Just a myth... Until now.... Until Isaac. It's a slow buildup, with just the right light touch to make the progression of the relationship between these two men totally believable. Both have serious issues, and those issues are treated with respect and woven into their relationship in ways that make the connection stronger between the two. There’s also a cat, named Bear that is the cutest, cuddliest thing you will read about. Each book in the Perspectives series stands well on its own, but they should be readin order as the characters from the other books all know one another and interact in each other’s lives throughout the three books.

Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her
Melanie Rehak
5/5 stars
Rehak tells the fascinating story of how book serials began. These serials included The Bobbsey Twins, Hardy Boys and in particular the Nancy Drew stories which were written by Harriet Stratemeyer Adams and Mildred Benson. Harriet Stratemeyer’s father had started the business in which he wrote the synopsizes and then farmed them out to other authors to flesh out the stories. These books took off and became a worldwide phenomenon and are still popular.

After Glow - Jayne Castle
Ghost Hunters Series Book #2
Genera: Paranormal/Alternate Universe
2.75★
Return to Harmony where nothing is as it seems. Life is complicated for Lydia Smith. She’s working at a tacky, third-rate museum, Shrimpton’s House of Ancient Horrors, trying to salvage her career in para-archaeology—and dating the most dangerous man in town. Just when she thinks she might be getting things under control, she stumbles over a dead body and discovers that her lover has a secret past that could get him killed. Just to top it off, there’s trouble brewing underground in the eerie, glowing green passageways of the Dead City. Descending into these twisting catacombs, Lydia will learn just what it’s like to put her heart, and life, on the line…

I don't believe I have ever read a book that actually had real, live dust bunnies in the story...although I may have encountered some that I believe were alive and reproducing in the corners of my house:) Anyway...I learned that this is the second story with Emmett London and Lydia Smith....why didn't I see that to start with? Things seem to be going along great for them. They are dating...hoping for some type of wedding in the future, and of course they have the usual problems that most normal couples encounter. I became bored with the two of them...confused by all the activity taking place in their alternate world... and wished the entire book could have been just about those cute little dust bunnies. I have to admit, in case you haven't guessed... this is NOT...in any way, shape or form...my type of book, but it fit into...what else???...yelp.... filling a category of a challenge! So, I can't and am not going to be too critical. I knew what I was getting myself in for before I reached the second chapter. I saw that it was only the 2nd book with those dust bunnies that do tend to take over the story...and quite frankly was the reason I continued to read...challenge or no challenge. It's not badly written...the characters are well drawn...if a reader likes this kind of story, it will be their "cupa tea". This author writes under several different names... Jayne Castle...Jayne Ann Krentz...and Amanda Quick. I guess all her books under any of those names, have something in common like her couple characters always being allowed to fall in love. One thing I'm sure they don't have are...DUST BUNNIES!

The Paris Hours – Alex George
3.5***

Paris 1927. Home to Josephine Baker, Maurice Ravel, Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway and Marcel Proust, among others. But in addition to the many famous “lost generation” members, the City of Light was also home to many who led much quieter lives. George tells the story of four such souls, whose stories converge over the course of one day and night in Paris.

These four people are working hard but not succeeding at what they most want. One is a survivor of the Armenian genocide and suffers great guilt that his family perished. A painter and a writer struggle to produce the kind of work that will fully express their thoughts, hopes, disappointments, and dreams (and achieve financial success as well). And a woman is consumed by her job and the devotion she shows to her employer. They all mourn what they have lost and struggle to find a way forward. Some scenes are difficult to read about. Oh, how my heart aches for them!

I’ve read many a book with multiple perspectives, but this felt fresh and new. George deftly handled these different storylines to produce a cohesive tale. Despite the constant change in point of view and some long reminiscences that took me farther into the past of each character, I never lost interest in where it was going. The connections between the characters really didn’t gel until the last couple of chapters, and the ending was a nice surprise.

George used the setting of 1920s Paris to full advantage. The characters have interactions with the famous, sometimes just a small touch (one character hears a pianist playing the same piece every day in the apartment downstairs … it is Ravel), others enjoy a significant relationship (another character is Proust’s trusted maid).

Curse of Salem - Kay Hooper - (North Carolina)
Bishop Special Crime Unit Series Book #20
Genera: Paranormal/Mystery & Suspense
5★
Possible Triggers: Horrific murders and torture
The small town of Salem has been quiet for months...or so Bishop and his elite Special Crimes Unit believe. But then Hollis Templeton and Diana Hayes receive a warning in Diana's eerie "gray time" between the world of the living and the realm of the dead that a twisted killer is stalking Salem, bent on destroying in the most bloody and horrifying way possible the five families that founded the town. The stakes are high, especially for new friends Nellie Cavendish and Finn Deverell, both members of the Five. This time Bishop and his wife, Miranda, will lead the team to hunt down a vicious killer and uncover a dark and ancient curse haunting Salem.

I have read and enjoyed the "Bishop Special Crime Unit" series for a very, very long time. The stories, most of the time, feature long known members of the team but there are enough completely new characters to keep the series fresh. The longtime members often make jokes or references like any group of people that work constantly together do...but a new reader, one that doesn't start at the first may not understand them all...so if you like this type of story you might want to read some of the earlier books first. This being said...this one, Curse of Salem follows on the heels of the previous one in the series, Hidden Salem. The setting and some of the characters are the same as in this previous book, so you may want to read that one before this one. Most of the earlier books I would call "romantic suspense", but these later books are diffidently "paranormal mystery". Bishop's team returns to Salem, where things have again gone wrong. Hollis is usually the key figure on the team, but she doesn't feel she's 'right " for the job this time. Noone is very comfortable being here and Hollis soon realizes that she needs to let some of them with other abilities take over, which added a refreshing element to the storyline. There is lots of suspense with this killer, and his work is nothing but horrific, and the team is missing vital clues as the killer seems to have the ability to jam their receptive talents. I have always loved this series which has a specific kind of magic and is absolutely perfect for the "ghost story junkie".

I Am the Messenger – Markus Zusak
Book on CD read by Marc Aden Gray
2**

From the book jacket: Ed Kenney is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He’s pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.

My reactions
Water The Flowers.

I picked this up because I enjoyed Zusak’s The Book Thief and was hoping for … well, not more of the same, but something that would spark some of the same feelings I had reading that work.

I liked Ed well enough. He’s nineteen and struggling with what to do with his life. But when put to the test he rises to the occasion and figures out ways to help all those he’s directed to help. I loved a couple of the scenarios: the priest, the running girl, the elderly widow, and the family with the Christmas lights; but found several others really puzzling or even distasteful. I have no idea what the purpose was of Daryl and Keith.

In the end, I wound up confused about what was actually going on and found the entire premise rather unbelievable. Zusak joins the likes of author John Boyne for me – an author I’ve enjoyed at least once, perhaps even loved, but who is just as likely to completely disappoint me in another work .

Marc Aden Gray does a good job of narrating the audiobook, although his Aussie accent was a bit thick for me at times. I was glad I had the text handy so I could a read some of the passages when I wasn’t quite sure what I had just listened to. That’s not his fault, necessarily,

>41 Carol420: Very true! I am totally owned by my two baby kitties LOL!

This week I read and reviewed Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton, which was very good. I don't often read auto-biographies or biographies but this was very interesting.

Also read and reviewed Saffron Wilds by Kai Butler, part of her San Amero series. The next book coming in June is the last of the series and I am looking forward to reading it!

>59 Carol420: I did read the first book of this series and remember liking the Dust Bunnies. Unfortunately I remember nothing else from the story LOL

...and I apparently read and reviewed the second book too. This I only discovered when I went to the book page LOL I also apparently liked the Dust Bunnies as the best part of the books back then too!

A Cat Named Darwin / William Jordan
4 stars

The author was not a cat person, but when he came across a stray (at a time when the author was feeling lonely), there seemed to be a connection. He brought the cat he later named Darwin (the author is a biologist) in and gave him food. There was a back and forth between inside and outside, then on or off the bed, etc. Darwin wormed his way into the author’s heart, but it wasn’t long before Darwin was diagnosed with FeLV (feline leukemia). Darwin only lasted another year before he died.

I loved Darwin and enjoyed the parts most that focused on him. The author brought in some philosophy of things he learned from Darwin and, though I’m not usually a fan of philosophy, I actually found this quite interesting. I did disagree with a lot of decisions the author made, especially as Darwin got more and more sick, but I still rated it as high as I did, primarily because of Darwin himself. The book hit close to home, as I have been dealing with a palliative cat for a few years now, myself (he’s now 20 and still mostly doing ok, but it’s tough).

Peacemaker - Morgan Brice - (Missouri)
Sharpes & Springfield Series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance/Thriller/Paranormal
5★
Secret agents, forbidden love, danger, and magic! Supernatural Secret Service agents Owen Sharps and Calvin Springfield meet on the train to their new assignment in St. Louis, and sparks fly between them. But it's 1897, and they need to be very careful falling as falling in love can be dangerous for men like them. It's their first case together, investigating mysterious disappearances—including the two agents who preceded them. Grim evidence leads them to look for a darker purpose. Old ghosts haunt the railroad line, zombies rise, signs point to ritual sacrifice, and they suspect someone is trying to open the gates of hell. Can Calvin and Owen stop the mayhem, thwart the vampires, and find true love, or will everything go up in smoke? Peacemaker is a high-stakes steampunk MM romance thrill ride filled with found family, paranormal Pinkertons, intrepid reporters, mysterious disappearances, nefarious land brokers, hellhounds, zombies, vengeful spirits, dark spells, absinthe magic, a ruthless vampire railroad baron and a love that won't be denied. Before Colt and Winchester, there was Sharps & Springfield!

Morgan Brice was the first M/M romance author I ever read, and her "Witchbane" series was the start of my love of M/M romances, and I have been hooked ever since. I have read and own everything she has written in this persona...all the "Badlands", "Witchbane" and "Treasure Trail" series, so needless to say I was excited to see a new series appear. So far there is only 2 books in the "Treasure Trail" series, so I am sincerely hoping that there will be more than 2 books in this one. Our new characters are Owen Sharps and Calvin Springfield who meet for the first time on a train. Each unknown to the other, they find that they feel the same attraction toward who they later find turns out to be their new "Supernatural Secret Service" partner. Unfortunately, the proprieties of the day, 1887, mean it would be both improper and dangerous to act on their attractions. I wondered since they were going to facing life and death, if it would really have been so bad? Those same rules, make it hard to determine a person’s orientation, so they spent the majority of the book testing their theories about each other and being wrong. They gave "Don't ask...don't tell" a whole new meaning. The book is listed as a historical paranormal series, which is not a new theme for Morgan Brice as all her series have had hot guys with at least one having paranormal abilities. In this series both partners have different abilities, that no matter the situation, they are covered and at least one of them will live on...at least for now. Being the first, the story sets the tone and introduces the "ground crew". As I said...I have enjoyed several series by this author, and this series looks to be very promising. We get to see the viewpoints of both Owen and Calvin as the chapters alternate. They are going to be perfect partners both in bed and on the job. Unlike modern times, they can’t simply give a nudge and a nod in the local nightclub. Back then, society’s rules kept many aspects of life behind tight lips. So, the men must navigate the subtext of exchanges. The groundwork for the series has been beautifully accomplished...the cast of players are superb, and I so look forward to reading further books in this series, which will hopefully include more paranormal and a lot more romance between Calvin and Owen.

His Hart's Command - A.E. Via - (Georgia)
Nothing Special Series Book #6
Narrator: Aiden Snow
Genera: M/M Romance/Thriller/Police Procedural
4★
Lennox Freeman (Free) is one of the best hackers in the world which has caused him to spend most of his life on the run. Never able to put down roots, he couldn’t trust anyone not to take advantage of him, even his own family. If it wasn’t for his best friend, Tech, shielding him, Free’s father would’ve sold him and his skills to the highest bidding crime family when he was still a student at MIT. Free owed Tech his life; so when his friend called for him to come to Atlanta to work with him, he couldn’t say no. However, he wasn’t expecting the overprotective group of detectives that made up Atlanta PD’s most notorious task force. And he certainly wasn’t prepared for the large-and-in-charge SWAT Captain that was responsible for their safety. Ivan Hart has lived and bled one creed all of his life: To Serve and Protect. His intense focus and determination in law enforcement has led him to finally commanding his own team. He’d worked hard to put together a squad of badasses capable of backing up a very dangerous team of detectives. Being God and Day’s last line of defense came with a lot of responsibility that he took very seriously. After his divorce was final Hart turned right around and remarried his job. He had his good friends there in the office with him every day, so it was easier to ignore the few quiet hours he spent at home alone each night. He’d settled well into his new routine and was comfortable with it. Then God decided to disrupt everything by hiring another tech specialist for his department. A man whose brains, trendy looks, and voice would leave Hart tongue-tied and captivated at their first introduction. Free quickly awakens a passion in Hart that he long thought was dead. An attraction he didn’t know existed. He couldn’t fathom that the sexy cyber genius could be interested in an over-sized, big-bearded brute that served criminals the bottom line for a living. No matter what his best friend, God said. A future with Hart could be potentially dangerous and often times full of terrifyingly close calls; but little did he know that so could falling for the most hunted hacker in the world. All Lennox Freeman wants in life is security, love and protection… Hart had all that to give and more.

In this contemporary action/romance set in an Atlanta PD, we follow the development of Free and Hart’s relationship. Free has lived a life on the run until he landed a job in God and Day’s department. After Hart’s divorce, he became married to his job protecting and serving as a SWAT team Captain. Finding love was the last thing on their minds when they first met, so falling for each other is a surprise that neither expected to face. I wanted to strangle Hart's ex-wife who couldn't wrap her head around the word "EX". I can't image why a man like Hart would allow this at all. Aiden Snow did a magnificent job narrating, as he has for the previous five books. I love his voices, and he does a good job of keeping them unique. One of the parts of this book that I thought stood out from some others that I've read including this series, that is very often passed over or not mentioned at all, is that men can also be the victims of abuse, both verbal and/or physical. A.E Via not only included it in this story, but she did a fantastic job...and she did it with a great deal of tact. We can see the aftermath of how it affected Hart despite his physical appearance of being a tall, broad and commanding presence...how his psyche was shattered from the verbal abuse from his ex-wife. It was a great way of showing that anybody can become a victim regardless of their outer appearance or their characteristics. I also liked how mild manner Free gave the slimy homophobic Vasquez something else to think about other than running down a way of life that he doesn't personally approve of.

The Judge's List / John Grisham
4 stars

Lacy is a lawyer, working for an organization that investigates complaints against judges. She is contacted by someone who wants to remain anonymous about a judge (a current sitting judge!) who she says has murdered at least eight people, including her father over 20 years previous. Lacy hesitates taking the case, as they are not equipped to investigate murders, but Jeri refuses to go to the police, and they are required to start an investigation if there is a complaint. All the cases are cold (except the most recent), and there was zero evidence left behind. All Jeri has is motive and (I don’t remember what they called it) the same way of killing.

I thought this was really good, a unique scenario. It got especially creepy once we started “following” from the judge’s point of view about the middle of the book, but that, of course, ramped up the suspense a bit.

The Wrong Good Deed by Caroline Cooney
257 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

"But it was Dodo's experience that in fact, you always knew what you ought to do. The question was - would you do it?"

Helen/Clemmie (from Cooney's Before She Was Helen) is attending church with her South Carolina Sun City friend Muffin Morgan. Just before the service ends, Muffin tells Helen that they have to leave NOW. On their way home, they come across an accident - two girls have missed a curve and totaled their pickup truck. Muffin is upset and hides in the back of Helen's car. When they arrive back in Sun City, Muffin tells Helen her story - one of racism, violence, and secrets. It seems that Helen isn't the only one with a hidden identity. As Muffin's past begins to play a more important role in her life, Helen begins to wonder about her own secret coming to light.

An excellent read! Muffin had a very compelling story. Neither she nor Helen truly knew the other, nor their other friends in their community. I took off half a star because Cooney didn't refresh readers more about Helen/Clemmie's past, and I had trouble remembering the details of her story.

The Cat Who Played Post Office – Lilian Jackson Braun
Book on CD performed by George Guidall
3***

Another charming episode in the life of journalist James Qwilleran (known simply as Qwill) and his precocious Siamese, Koko.

Qwill has inherited a sizeable fortune and must move to the estate in the “way up there” part of the state in order to collect the funds. Seems not everyone in town is happy to have him there, however. The story starts out with Qwill in the hospital, after having “fallen off” his bicycle and suffering a concussion. As he slowly begins to regain his memory, the story moves back in time to his arrival in town and his curiosity about a former houseworker on the estate who disappeared.

I like the series because I like Qwill. He’s a confirmed bachelor (having failed at marriage more than once already), but a gentleman. His work as a journalist gives him a reason to poke his nose in where it doesn’t belong. If he doesn’t immediately pick up on the significance of a clue, well trust that Koko will point him in the right direction with a yip, yowl or repeated scratching at a seemingly ordinary box.

I read this one out of order (inadvertently) … so I need to go back and find out how he came to inherit this estate.

George Guidall does a fine job of performing the audio. I like the voice he uses for Qwill – AND for Koko! He has a naturally deep voice, but he doesn’t a respectable job of voicing the female characters as well.

Sea Castle - Andrew Mayne - (Florida)
Underwater Investigation Unit - Book #4
Genera: Myster/Thriller/Police Procedural
4.5★
When a young woman washes ashore on a Fort Lauderdale beach, Sloan McPherson of the Underwater Investigation Unit is called in to consult. Sloan’s instinct says murder, but even then, there are too many questions. For answers she reaches out to Gwen Wylder. The Miami homicide detective is notorious for being manipulative, bitter, a tyrant to her peers, and wicked smart. And she demands something in return from Sloan: fresh insight into seemingly unrelated cold-case murders and disappearances―and a possible serial killer trolling the Florida coast. As loose ends of the old files begin to come together, another woman disappears. Sloan and Gwen are certain she’s the newest link in a deadly chain. They are determined to track her down before she dies, but they soon find themselves in uncharted waters. And the deeper Sloan and Gwen go, the stranger the case gets.

A corpse washing ashore proves to be just the beginning. The discovery of a dead girl with a rope around her neck on a Fort Lauderdale, Florida beach triggers a call to detective Sloan McPherson of the Underwater Investigation Unit. Medical examiner concludes that Nicole Donnelly was strangled, but by hand, not by a rope. This is the first of several inconsistencies that make Sloan suspect that the case will be complex, a hunch that’s confirmed with every new twist in her investigation. Mayne’s fourth thriller reads like a long-running, forensic crime TV series, with a huge cast of smart witnesses and lots of regulars who make short appearances over several chapters. Although Scott Hughes, Sloan’s partner in previous installments, is away in training, she finds welcome support from veteran detective Gwen Wylder, the perfect partner for a case focused on women at risk. Clues emerge at a truck station that may be the scene of more unsavory sexual activity; in the ocean, courtesy of an Underwater Robotic Vehicle; and through a trio of less than desirables that Sloan identifies by the names he's associated with them, "Silver Teeth", "Brio", and "Half Face"...and a charismatic cult leader. The plot comes together like the proverbial jig-saw puzzle, each piece added a little more to the very disturbing big picture that was forming. I enjoyed the mystery and the characters but wished there had been a bit more taking place in the water, but Andrew Mayne as written an excellent mystery.

>51 Carol420: I loved the book! Thanks!

>72 EadieB: You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.

The Secrets We Bury - Debra Webb - (Tennessee)
The Undertaker's Daughter series Book #1
Narrator: Chelsea Stevens
Genera: Mystery & Suspense/Thriller
4.5★
Doctor Rowan Dupont knows death. She grew up surrounded by it in her family’s Victorian funeral home, and it’s haunted her since the day her twin sister drowned years ago. Between her mother’s subsequent suicide and the recent murder of her father, coming home to run the funeral home feels fitting - even if it leaves her vulnerable to an obsessive serial killer. Rowan refuses to let fear keep her from honoring her family. But the more time she spends back in Winchester, Tennessee, the more she finds herself questioning what really happened that fateful summer. Had her sister’s death truly been an accident? And what pushed their mother to take her own life? The dark lake surrounding Rowan’s hometown holds as many secrets as the bodies that float in its chilling depths. But Rowan is running out of time if she’s going to uncover the truth before somebody sinks her for good.

Rowan has a childhood friend on the hometown police force who wants to be sure she stays safe. Both have always held an attraction for the other, but neither will admit it, which caused me a bit of frustration as they constantly circled around one another. The question was: can the serial killer change all that and is the small-town police force enough to stop the killings? Rowan moved back to the family home in Tennessee and has taken over the funeral home that's been in her family for years. It's just her and her German Shepherd, Freud, all alone in the big old place with a basement and two upper stories. The more time Rowen spends back in her hometown, the more she finds herself questioning what really happened that fateful summer years ago when her sister died. Had her sister’s death really been an accident...and what pushed their mother to commit suicide? The dark lake that surrounds Rowan’s town seems to hold as many secrets as it gives up. Now Rowan is running out of time if she’s going to uncover the truth before more bones and bodies from the past turn up creating more cold cases for the police to add to the cases they already have. The serial killer is certainly lurking nearby and seems to always be one step ahead. Rowan has lost her entire family...her father, her mother, and her sister, leaving her alone to run the family funeral home. This is a book with a great "creep factor"...and one that you won't want to put down. It will become an imperative that you find out what is going to happen next.

The Cold Millions – Jess Walter
Digital audiobook performed by Edoardo Ballerini, Gary Farmer, Marin Ireland, Cassandra Campbell, MacLeod Andrews, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Mike Ortego, Rex Anderson, Charlie Thurston, and Frankie Corzo.
4****

Set in the early twentieth century, this novel focuses on the two Dolan brothers: sixteen-year-old Rye and his older brother Gig. Rye just wants a steady job and a home. Gig is more idealistic, fighting along other men to form unions and demand fair wages and better working conditions. Together, they live by their wits – hopping freights and forming alliances with those they feel might be able to help them.

In addition to the two Dolan brothers, Walter populates the work with a wide variety of memorable characters, from Jules (a Native American from Coeur d’Alene) to Ursula the Great (a vaudeville singer who performs with a live cougar) to Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (a nineteen-year-old feminist) to Lemuel Brand (a wealthy mining magnate). There are plots and subplots, twists and turns, allies who are really enemies, double and triple crosses, good guys who are really bad guys (and vice versa).

Based on actual events in 1909 Spokane, Washington (the Free Speech Fight and the formation of the International Workers of the World), at the novel’s core is a class struggle that is reminiscent of what America is undergoing now just over a hundred years later.

The story is told from multiple characters’ points of view, and some scenes are related more than once, giving the reader additional insight as the point of view changes in the same scenario. Walter has the ability to really put the reader right into the heart of the scene; I practically heard the sound of the train on the tracks, smelled the odor of unwashed bodies, felt the chill of a cold jail cell.

Walter is a masterful storyteller and I was engaged and interested from beginning to end.

I listened to the audio which was masterfully performed by a cast of talented voice artists. This really brought the characters to life for me and made it easier to discern the changes in point of view. However, I think the complexity of the story might be better appreciated if read in text first.

Facing Fears - Morticia Knight - (California)
Kiss of Leather Series Book #7
Genera: M/M Romance/BDSM
5★
The men at Kiss of Leather celebrate the destruction of the kidnapping ring. However, Tobey has gone missing, and Master Hunter worries he’ll never see the sub he rejected again. Danger abounds as Chuck chases after one of the key figures behind Corey’s kidnapping. As the critical moment arrives when Chuck corners the members of the human trafficking ring, he makes a horrifying discovery. The case might get resolved, but that doesn’t mean everyone will make it out alive. Master Hunter is officially part-owner of Kiss of Leather, so he’s thrilled to raise a toast in celebration now that the mystery has been solved. Still, he can’t help but feel left out. Everyone is paired up except for him. He’s never believed in monogamy before, but after Tobey’s disappearance, did he make a horrible mistake by not sharing his true feelings? Tobey has been miserable ever since leaving West Hollywood. The only place he’s ever felt he truly belonged was at Kiss of Leather, yet Master Hunter’s thoughtless remarks left him crushed. Can he face Hunter if he goes back to Kiss of Leather? And can Hunter figure out what he really wants from life and love?

This quickly became one of my favorite series after the 2nd book. Some of the major events from the other six books are solved in this one and a new genderqueer character has been added to the workers at Kiss of Leather. The mystery of who was behind Corey’s kidnapping and the deaths and disappearances of the other subs in the area has finally been solved thanks to Chuck’s persistence. He was absolutely awesome. That entire storyline added another level of excitement to an already amazing story. These books always feature a vast array of wonderfully diverse characters and Ms. Knight has written all of them beautifully. Facing Fears is Hunter and Tobey's story, and Tobey has more fears that anyone should ever be burdened with. He can hardly carry on a conversation with a friend much less a stranger. We didn't see much of their interactions in the previous books, but with returns of many of the previous characters throughout each book, we didn't have much chance to previously get to really know Hunter, except that he was a good Dom that really cared for his subs. I was very interested in what was going to happen with Tobey. I knew that Hunter would get his act together and be able to help Tobey be a whole, trusting person again and find exactly what he needed. When they finally came together it was a delight to read and so beautiful. As I said before...I have loved every single book in this series, and I am so glad that I own them all. Morticia Knight has an exceptional ability to keep the reader entertained with multiple events going on while keeping the focus on the characters whose story is being told. I was happy to have found that there is one more book in the series.

The Twisted Dead - Darcy Coates - (Canada)
Gravekeepers series Book #3
Genera: Mystery/Paranormal
5★
Someone may be using an army of the undead to take over the world? Hunted and haunted, all she wants is to put her mysterious past behind her and move forward with her new friends as Blighty Graveyard's groundskeeper. But then she receives an invitation to dinner at the local recluse's crumbling ancestral estate. The mansion is steeped in history that is equal parts complicated and bloody―and at its center is the man who once tried to kill her, now begging for her help. Dane Crispin believes his home is haunted―and that the unquiet dead clawing through the ancient house are after him. Unnerved but intrigued, Keira opens her second sight and discovers he's right: resentful specters cling to Dane…and if she can't find a way to stop them, threaten to consume everything in their path. There's something dark happening in the world beyond most peoples' vision, and if Keira isn't able to sever the ties between the living and the dead, the chained spirits may not be the only things twisted beyond saving.

Keira not only sees dead people, but she also talks to them. She much prefers their company to that of Dane Crispin...and who wouldn't?? Dane is the sole heir of the Crispin estate, and Keira is fully convinced that he has invited her and her friends, Zoe and Mason, for dinner at his ancestral home in Blighty, which was founded by his ancestor, Mortimer Crispin. She believes it was so that he can kill them all. Now I ask you...WHY WOULD YOU GO??? Dane has quite a different agenda in mind...he needs her help. The man has been driven to the point of madness by the vibes he picks up every day, he asks plaintively, “Are there restless spirits in my home?” DUH! Keira is well equipped to take on the job of evicting the ghosts from his house, but she soon realizes that the spirits are not attached to Dane’s house but to Dane himself. How is Dane and his ghostly companions connected to the recent murder of Keira's friend Mason’s, fellow medical student Evan Radeck? Evan was stabbed 18 times last year by someone who thought he was just "too dang successful"! Keira, had hoped to solve Dane’s problems by as she put it...“fishing him out of a pot of ghost soup and letting him drain,” but it seems that someone or something has blocked Keira's abilities. She is alarmed to discover that she “can’t see a single normal ghost. Only their shades. As the evidence mounts that she’s dealing with something a lot more sinister, or at least much bigger and nastier than just the haunting of one unhappy man. If you enjoy horror that is not too extreme, the paranormal, suspense, and mystery...you'll enjoy this entire series.

A Natural Woman: A Memoir
Carole King
4/5 stars
This is a wonderfully, written memoir by Carole King, who relates her life and family history up to 2012. Included in the book is her rise to fame, her personal life and her collaborations with other artists. Definitely for King fans.

Shadow of the Titanic / Andrew Wilson
4 stars

This book looks not just at the Titanic, but picks out a few of the survivors to follow after the ship sank. Of course, it also backs up to include biographical information on these people from before the Titanic, as well as where they were and what happened with each of them the night the ship sank.

This was a bit of a different look at the story of the Titanic. I quite liked it! Some of the stories were of first class passengers I knew a bit about or at least remember hearing their names (Madeleine Astor, John Jacob Astor’s young, new, pregnant wife; Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon and his wife, Lady Duff Gordon); also J. Bruce Ismay, a White Star official. Many of the stories were people I hadn’t heard about before. Probably the one I’ll remember best is Jack Thayer, 17 years old and was going down with the ship when he jumped, managed to clear the ship, and be rescued. Dorothy Gibson was a silent screen actress on the Titanic who made it out. There were two little boys who were on the ship with their father; he got them in a lifeboat and they never saw him again… turns out the father had kidnapped them from their mother in France!

Ismay, of course, was on trial after the Titanic sunk. The Duff Gordons were, as well, it being alleged that they bribed the rowers of their lifeboat to not go back to see if they could help anyone. Madeleine Astor married and divorced two more times (though remarrying caused her to lose all wealth left to her by John Jacob). A number of people committed suicide (not necessarily right away) and many just wouldn’t talk of the Titanic afterward.

Last Chance - Kate Bold - (Florida)
Kaylie Brooks Series Book #2
Genera: Mystery & Suspense/Police Procedural
3★
Kaylie Brooks, a modest Midwestern girl out of place amongst the wealthy of Palm Beach, has decided to use her brilliant mind and pursue her passion for profiling, working for the police. When a wealthy divorcee turns up dead, floating face down in the pool of her mansion, suspects abound. But to find the killer, Kaylie will have to return to the world of the uber wealthy and unearth their darkest secrets.

I read the first book in this series, Last Breath, and gave it 5 stars so was really hoping that this one would continue the "5-star streak". I was a bit disappointed. Not that it was exactly a bad book...it just lacked the "reality" that the first book had. The main character, Kaylie, is not a police officer and she doesn't even have her degree yet in "criminal behavior" yet the Chief of Police calls her in to investigate the murders? Really??? My husband spent 10 years in two Florida police departments and 22 in years with a department in Michigan. When I asked him if this would ever happen, he looked at me like I had grown an extra head and then said .."oh, you're reading "cop fiction" again.". Kylie did scatterbrained things and was way too reckless when confronting possible murder suspects. I thought she had a latent death wish. I know that many authors like to draw a reading audience for their next book by leaving their current book readers with a cliff hanger...which I don't particularly like. This one has one of those...but then so did the first one. I want to know how the story that I'm currently reading ends and not having to wait sometimes a year or more for the next one.

Enemy Women – Paulette Jiles
4****

In the last months of 1864, the residents of Missouri are being pushed and pulled between warring factions. Guerrilla groups (not formally enlisted in the Rebel Army) strike out from their hidey-holes in the woods and mountains; Union soldiers man strategic forts but also have empowered a militia to enforce martial law. The “leaders” of the militia use this as an excuse to pillage, seizing property, horses, and goods, and to kill anyone who voices any outrage. When 18-year-old Adair Colley’s father is arrested, and their home and barn set afire, she and her sisters begin the trek north to try to get her father released. Instead, she is renounced as a traitor and imprisoned. In the notoriously squalid conditions of her prison she encounters Major William Neuman, a Union soldier who is tasked with obtaining her confession.

I found this work of historical fiction fascinating and engaging. Adair is a strong woman even though she is barely out of girlhood. She remains resolute despite hardship. No horse – no problem – she will walk. She never loses sight of her goal – to find her father, to get home, to reunite her family.

Major Neuman is an interesting counterpoint. Conflicted about his obligations as a Union officer vs his love for Adair, he finds himself walking the tightrope between his duty and his compassion. I do wish Jiles had explored his story a bit more, but I was nevertheless glad to read so much of Adair’s adventures.

I really appreciated, too, that Jiles includes historical documents – letters, reports, journal entries, etc – at the beginning of each chapter. These glimpses of actual events really informed and added to the truth behind this work of fiction.

Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole
Susan Cain
3/5 stars
I loved Susan Cain's book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. This new book of hers was very interesting. She discusses the topic that without sadness and yearning that we cannot be a whole person. If you haven't read any of her books, I would start with Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. Books Off My Reading List

No Way Out - Fern Michaels - (New York/Missouri)
Genera: Mystery
2★
Ellie Bowman barely remembers the incident that put her into a coma. When she awoke, filled with unease, all she knew for certain was that her boyfriend, Rick, was missing. She knew she needed to get away from her old life and recover in safety. With the proceeds of a video game, she helped develop, Ellie starts over in rural Missouri, working from her cottage and trusting no one except her friend and business partner. Yet even in this quiet small town, it’s impossible to completely isolate herself. Especially when a curious eight-year-old boy, smitten with Ellie’s pup, stops by every day to talk to him over the fence. Little by little, Ellie is being drawn back into the world through the neighbors and community around her, realizing that everyone has their own fears and obstacles to contend with. When Ellie hears that Rick has resurfaced, her nightmares return, and with them, small snippets of memory. No one has heard from Rick since before the incident, so why is he back now? Ellie wants to move forward with her life, but first she must find the courage to look into her past, no matter what she finds there.

I was very disappointed with this book. It wasn't "gripping" or even very suspenseful. I had pretty much figured out the outcome just by reading the description. The writing was repetitive, a lot of the dialog was in the third person, making it hard to follow, and the characters were "ho-hum"...not even in the category of "so-so". I really expected more from a writer as talented as Fern Michaels. I'm quite sure there are a plethora of others out there that loved it or are going to really like it...I just didn't happen to be one of them.

These Precious Days – Ann Patchett
Digital audiobook read by the author
5*****

This is a series of essays about Patchett’s life and her thoughts on a variety of subjects from marriage to career, to education, to family, to grief. Most (if not all) of these essays have appeared separately in other publications.

I love Patchett’s writing. Here, she is most herself – honest, funny, empathetic, confused, angry, caring, and passionate.

I greatly enjoyed reading about her own journey as a reader, writer and owner of a bookstore. I added books to my tbr (or moved them higher in priority) as a result of knowing what she thought about them. I really liked hearing her talk about what lead her to write certain books, how they reflected her life, and especially how the covers came about. One of my favorite vignettes involved how she came to become friends with Tom Hanks and then asked him to narrate the audio for The Dutch House (which was wonderful, by the way).

Patchett read the audiobook herself. I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job.

P.S. I don’t know if those of you with a digital copy of this book have access to both front and back covers. If not, try to get your hands on the hardcover, so you can see the “bonus” cover image on the back. It’s a great painting and I can see why she liked it, but I agree with the decision to put Sparky on the front cover.

Have You Seen Me? - Kate White - (New York)
Genera: Mystery/Thriller
4★
The key to her missing memories could bring relief—or unlock her worst nightmares. On a cold, rainy morning, finance journalist Ally Linden arrives soaked to the bone at her Manhattan office, only to find that she’s forgotten her keycard. When her boss shows, he’s shocked to see her—because, he explains, she hasn’t worked there in five years. Ally knows her name but is having trouble coming up with much beyond that, though after a trip to the psychiatric ER, she begins to piece together important facts: she lives on the Upper West Side; she’s now a freelance journalist; she’s married to a terrific man named Hugh. More memories materialize and yet she still can’t recall anything about the previous two days. Diagnosed as having experienced a dissociative state, she starts to wonder if it may have been triggered by something she saw. Could she have witnessed an accident—or worse—had something happened to her? Desperate for answers, Ally tries to track where she spent the missing days, but every detail she unearths points to an explanation that’s increasingly ominous, and it’s clear someone wants to prevent her from learning where those forty-eight hours went. In order to uncover the truth, Ally must dig deep into the secrets of her past—and outsmart the person who seems determined to silence her.

Ally is a woman suffering from memory loss. When she arrives at work one morning, she’s shocked to find out that she hasn’t actually worked at this office for years. Somehow, she’s suffered a dissociative episode, and while the memories of the past eventually come flooding back, she still cannot remember anything that happened over the previous two days. Alarmed, she seeks out her therapist...her friends...her husband, trying to put the pieces together. There’s been tension in her marriage because her husband is pressuring her to have children, so when Ally finds out they had a fight the night before she “disappeared,” the root of her memory loss seems to be clear. However, there are still too many loose ends. Such as why were there bloody tissues in the pocket of her coat? What happened to her cellphone? Could any of this be related to a murder investigation from her childhood? Not sure who she can trust, Ally hires a private detective who also is murdered. One thing is for certain...someone is willing to go to great lengths to prevent Ally from recovering her memory. The author provides the twists and shocks that any reader of domestic thrillers expects, but she also manages to use some of our expectations to create clever dead ends. Ally’s need for self-discovery has an immediacy, of course, but also a larger resonance, as she begins to realize that she hasn’t always made choices that are completely authentic or independent. Perhaps recovering her memory will be the first step in a larger quest to find herself. Overall, this is an engaging, cleverly written novel that will engage and entertain most, if not all, mystery lovers.

The Graveyard of Lost Children Katrina Monroe

The narrative is told through two different perspectives. The first is that of Olivia, a new mother to a baby named Flora, whose own family history involved her young mother trying to kill her at four months by throwing her down a well. No Mother of The Year Award going here! Olivia has had no contact with Shannon and has found herself now in a loving marriage to her wife Kris....but Flora’s birth brings up a lot of fears and anxieties. the first perspective is that of Shannon and follows her pregnancy and the months leading up to Olivia’s attempted murder. Throughout these timelines both women are seeing and hearing visions of a "Black Haired Woman", which gives them feelings self-loathing, paranoia, and delusions about their babies. By the time the two storylines came together they melded very well and seemed to be believable. The "Black Haired Woman", started again with whispers and intuition and evolved into something more visceral and terrifying. It was done so well that it could stand up with in any ghost story. The author really knows how to create not only a very unsettling ghostly supernatural being, but also how to create very real human characters who have baggage, and many complex sides. Eventually, it’s the little things that turn into big things. We see the new mother experiences of Olivia and Shannon as the story goes on. We also see that the two woman are not faultless and it ISN’T always the "Black-Haired Woman" doing the damage. With Olivia, it’s the constant comparison between her experience and the experiences of other new mothers. For her the whole motherhood deal is difficult and exhausting. How can it seem so easy for others? She thinks that maybe it’s the fact that while her wife Kris is trying to be loving and supportive, she still has to prioritize her work thanks to a less than understanding family leave policy where she works, Kis is also gone a lot so she just doesn’t "GET it". Olivia feels like a failure, and everything becomes too much. Her medical professionals are dismissive and flippant when she raises concerns. I'm not at all unsympathetic, but by this point I was pretty much willing to drop her back into that well that her own mother had tried for all those years ago. All these people going on with their lives and simply ignoring her was also a bit unrealistic...maybe some would... but certainly not all of them. The "Black-Haired Woman" was the supposed villainess in this story, but there were other villains as well. Mostly the people that were supposed to support her and see that she was calling for help...although I admit some of it was way "over-the -top"...but I believe that was the entire point that the author was trying to make. Beware, that while this is in its own way an interesting story, it's going to be gut- wrenching horror for many.

Graveyard of Lost Children - Katrina Monroe
Genera: F/F Romance /Paranormal
3.5★
At four months old, Olivia Dahl was almost murdered. Driven by haunting visions, her mother became obsessed with the idea that Olivia was a changeling, and that the only way to get her real baby back was to make a trade with the "dead women" living at the bottom of the well. Now Olivia is ready to give birth to a daughter of her own…and for the first time, she hears the women whispering. Everyone tells Olivia she should be happy. She should be glowing, but the birth of her daughter only fills Olivia with dread. As Olivia's body starts giving out, slowly deteriorating as the baby eats and eats and eats, she begins to fear that the baby isn't her daughter at all and, despite her best efforts, history is repeating itself. Soon images of a black-haired woman plague Olivia's nightmares, drawing her back to the well that almost claimed her life―tying mother and daughter together in a desperate cycle of fear and violence that must be broken if Olivia has any hope of saving her child…or herself.

The narrative is told through two different perspectives. The first is that of Olivia, a new mother to baby, Flora, whose own family history involved her mother trying to kill her when she was four months old, by throwing her down a well. No Mother of The Year Award being given out here! Olivia has had no contact with Shannon and has found herself now in a loving marriage to her wife, Kris....but Flora’s birth brings up a lot of fears and anxieties. The first perspective is that of Shannon and follows her pregnancy and the months leading up to Olivia’s attempted murder. Throughout these timelines both women are seeing and hearing visions of a "Black Haired Woman", which gives them feelings of self-loathing, paranoia, and delusions about themselves and their babies. By the time the two storylines came together they melded very well and seemed to be fairly believable. The "Black Haired Woman" started coming back again with whispers and intuition that evolved into something more visceral and terrifying. This part of the story was done so well that it could hold its own with any ghost story ever written. The author really knew how to create not only a very unsettling ghostly supernatural being, but also how to create very real human characters who have loads of baggage, and many complex sides. Eventually, it’s the little things that turn into very big things. We see the new mother experiences of Olivia and Shannon as the story goes on. We also see that the two women are not faultless, and it ISN’T always the "Black-Haired Woman" doing the damage. With Olivia, it’s the constant comparison between her experience and the experiences of other new mothers. For her the whole motherhood deal is difficult and exhausting. How can it possibly seem so easy for others? She thinks that maybe it’s the fact that while her wife Kris is trying to be loving and supportive, she still has to prioritize her job, thanks to a less than understanding family leave policy where she works, Kis is also gone a lot, so she just doesn’t "GET it". Olivia feels like a failure, and everything becomes too much. Her medical professionals are dismissive and flippant when she raises concerns. I'm not at all unsympathetic, but by this point I was pretty much willing to drop her back into that well that her own mother had tried for all those years ago. All these people going on with their lives and simply ignoring her was also a bit unrealistic...maybe some would... but certainly not all of them.??) The "Black-Haired Woman" was the supposed villainess in this story, but there were other villains as well. Mostly the people that were supposed to support her and see that she was calling for help...although I admit some of it was way "over-the -top"...but I believe that was the entire point that the author was trying to make. Beware, that while this is in its own way, an interesting story, it's going to be absolutely gut-wrenching horror for many.

The Suffering - M.J. Mars - (England)
Genera: Paranormal
4★
Possible Trigger Warning
Lots of gore and body parts
"It was a suffering like no other. And, oh, how they suffered." Recreating the séance that led to the infamous Victorian Suffering massacre seems like a good idea at the time. But Kyle Birbeck soon discovers that the ghosts his distant ancestor banished into the walls of Brackenby House in 1876 have been lurking, waiting for a chance to come out. One by one the 5 terrifying ghosts latch onto each of the students who reside at Brackenby, preying on their deepest fears: A 3-eyed Incan giant. A member of the Hellfire Club who struck a deal with the devil to keep his fortune in the afterlife. A thieving factory hand who fell to his death, torturing them with endless footsteps. An oracle with a horde of dead sailors to do her bidding, and a 17th century axe-wielding executioner with a murderous hobby. It's up to Kyle and his friends to uncover the real secrets of the séance and banish the ghosts for good. But they soon come to realize it isn't Brackenby House that's haunted. They are. And the ghosts will stop at nothing to continue The Suffering.

It's Victorian England in the year 1876. A seance at Brackenby House, calling upon five ghosts with various, dangerous backgrounds for the power for a person to see their fate. However, that fate was quickly realized when everyone in the house was massacred, except for Lucius Holgrove, the psychic who summoned the apparitions. Now we fast-forward to Halloween, 2016 at Brackenby House, where Lucius’s great-great-great-grandnephew, Kyle, and Kyle’s housemates, who are all aware of the legend and stories about the house, including the rumor that the ghosts are still within its walls, decide to hold a seance. Because, of course, they’re just stories… right? After the seance, the housemates don’t feel as though the house itself is haunted, but that they, themselves, are progressively being haunted, even outside of the house. One roommate suddenly has vertigo, another hears the pattering of footsteps, and one starts smelling mold in his immediate area and saltwater when another roommate leaves the room. Can Kyle and his housemates figure out how banish the ghosts before The Suffering: Part 2 occurs? The story provided great spooky vibes, and I was hooked from start to finish. There were incredibly creepy parts and be aware there are also vividly described gore and body parts horror where noting much is left to the imagination. It was fast paced through the majority...but I was disappointed that the buildup that took place through most of the book led to a flat and very quick ending. I felt like I needed more explanation especially from one particular character...that left me a bit unsatisfied, and it cost an otherwise good book to receive a 4-star rating instead of a 5.

An Unwanted Guest / Shari Lapena
4.5 stars

I see this as a cross between The Shining (isolated inn in the mountains during the winter) and And Then There Were None (only two staff, along with 10 guests in the isolated inn… and people are being murdered). James owns the inn, and his son Bradley helps out; because of the storm, they are the only two staff around on this cold wintery weekend. The guests: Candice is an author; David is a criminal defense attorney; Ian and Lauren are a fairly new couple, Henry and Beverly are a longer-married couple having trouble in their marriage, Matthew and Dana are planning their wedding; Gwen and Riley are long-time friends trying to reconnect. They all come with their own baggage and secrets. Who could be slowly murdering the others…?

I loved the cold wintery setting of this one! And I loved (what I saw as) the combo of The Shining with And Then There Were None. Although there were a lot of characters to introduce, I was able to figure them out pretty quickly and was interested from the start. I wasn’t sure if there would be a twist at the end (or how that would happen), but there was one and I think it was done well!

Gone - Ruby Speechley
Genera: Mystery & Suspense/Thriller
4.5★
Last night my son, Shay, sneaked out of the house and didn’t come home. He promised not to go to the illegal party in the woods. But someone’s been attacked and Shay has gone missing. The police want to know if he saw what happened. I’m worried he could be involved. After all the trouble he’s been in lately, mixing with the wrong crowd, coming home beaten up and scared, I thought we’d put it all behind us. Trouble is, Shay resents me moving my new boyfriend into the family home. I found all sorts on his laptop, including a half-written email warning me not to trust David. What does he know that I don’t? I’m beginning to fear for his safety. What is David hiding from me? Who have I let into our lives? I don’t know who I can trust. Will I ever see my son alive again?

We quickly meet Rachel as she tries to find her son Shay, when he doesn’t return from a party he wasn’t even supposed to be attending. When the party site becomes a crime scene after a girl is attacked, and more local children start to disappear Rachel becomes more desperate to locate her son. There is also a real possibility that Shay may have had something to do with the attack on the girl. With every passing hour, the reader is made to clearly understand that there is less and less chance of Shay coming home at all or alive. Other shocking possibilities soon come in focus and Rachel turns to dangerous routes still trying to track Shay down. For anyone who's had a teen-age child that is coming closer to becoming an adult, this story could be really frightening. There are so many ways in which children of any age can now be manipulated and groomed without ever leaving their homes. The storyline is gritty and suspenseful as the search continues and Rachel tries to find answers. I have three children that are no longer teens, but remembering when they were, I’m not sure I, or anyone I know, would have been as brave as Rachel in her search. I guess no one really knows what they would be capable of doing until they encounter that situation. There is an added advisement about on-line dangers and what parents should watch for that I thought was a good addition.

Brandwashed
Martin Lindstrom
4/5 stars
Fascinating book about how businesses use different tactics to promote certain brands, especially name brands. Lindstrom also wrote Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy. I knew marketing brands was/is popular but I never knew the lengths that marketing companies would go to get a product to sell. Very interesting. This book was written in 2011. I wonder what new tactics businesses use today!

Just Dex - Jodi Payne & B A Tortuga - (New York/A short time in Texas)
Les's Bar Series Book #1
Genera: M/M Romance/BDSM
5★
When Dexter (Dex) Appleton’s best friend Huck commits suicide, it damn near kills Dex too. Huck was a bull rider with a crazy life, and leaves behind a big house, and a ton of unanswered questions. But Dex is just a simple guy, just a Texas redneck trying to scrape together a life, and he can’t handle much more before he breaks. Cyrus Hughes is a professional Dom. He’s shocked to learn that Huck is gone, he’s met with Huck twice a month for years, and didn’t expected to miss a client so much. When he heads to Texas to pay his respects, he instinctively feels protective of Huck’s anxious and unlikely best friend, Dexter. The attraction between them grows, even long distance, until Cyrus insists he needs Dex with him in New York. Clinging to his last bit of hope, Dex takes a leap of faith and moves what little he still owns in with Cyrus, hoping to find his place is in the world, and learn how to love a lifestyle Dom. Their path is full of trial and error, adjusting expectations and discovering how they fit together. Cyrus and Dex try to smooth out the rough edges and create their own family, one where Cyrus hopes to convince Dex that he’s not “just” anything.

Nearly 600 pages packed full of love and acceptance and personal growth and friendship...a beautifully done story. Dex and Cyrus, (Cy) fit together like a hand in a pair of well-worn, favorite gloves. In spite of being a hugely long book, it was NEVER boring or respective, it just took us along on the journey allowing us to see how Dex grew and became more confident and with Cyrus's patience and help began to learn that he was so much "more" than he had ever been allowed to believe. Cyrus was patient and truly loved him from the start...all he had to do was teach Dex to love himself...not a simple task...but what a journey! I wanted to hug Dex throughout most of the book:) This was the first book, but I think there should have been one before it that would have let us meet and understand Huck and what motivated him to do the things he did and why his rodeo life that he obviously loved, led to his death. I got the feeling that Dex and Cyrus, nor anyone else, really "knew " him at all...and Dex was supposedly, his best friend. The secondary characters in the story are vividly portrayed and helped to bring a life of its own to the story. Dex is a baker that makes mostly holiday type cookies and many times takes on way too much...and has way much heart, allowing his ambition and kindness to do him more harm than good. If Cyrus ever gets tired of Dex, he can send him my way with his cookie pans:) I have the other 2 books in the series...why can't really good series like this one, have more than 3 books!!!????. I can't wait to learn the stories of some of Dex and Cyrus' friends and maybe we'll get to visit Les's Bar more often.

The Bishop's Pawn by Steve Berry
4****

Fifty years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone must reckon with the truth of what really happened in Memphis on April 4, 1968. It all turns on an incident form eighteen years ago, when Malone, as a young Navy lawyer, is trying hard not to live up to his burgeoning reputation as a maverick. When Stephanie Nelle, a high-level Justice Department lawyer, seeks his help to investigate a delicate situation involving a stolen rare coin and a rogue FBI faction, he jumps at the opportunity.

This book, part of a LT Book Group for May, delved into the murder of an iconic modern hero, Martin Luther King, Jr. from so many angles: his work in the Civil Rights Movement of the 60's, the beginning of the fracturing of that movement, his surveillance by and antagonistic relationship with J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, and the unanswered questions around his death.

While not the first in the series of books about Cotton Mather, this book is the first in Mather's journey into his role as an agent of the Justice Department from being a JAG wondering about his future. He witnesses a friend's murder, draws his weapon on the friend's wife, and finds himself in jail. In comes Stephanie Nelle to take him away from all that and into a fifty-year old mystery.

His initial assignment is to recoup an extremely rare (and illegal) Double Eagle US coin from the deck of a ship. All goes according to plan until unexpected visitors show up underwater, out to either gain the Double Eagle themselves or shoot Mather (or both), and then the boat he rode in on blows up. From there, events begin at a rapid pace.

Realizing that somehow, the rare coin and a set of documents about the FBI's investigation into Martin Luther King, Jr. are connected, Mather meets Coleen Perry, a young cop who is the daughter of one of King's inner circle. The documents shed light onto the FBI's plot to assassinate King and how James Earl Ray comes to be the shooter. While some of the action seems more in the James Bond vein, the desire of retired FBI officials to keep the documents from coming to light are as much a mind-game as they are a thrill ride. Events happen in and around St. Augustine and Disney World, and Berry has done excellent research into the Civil Rights movement and what could maybe have happened all those decades ago.

Mystery of the Witches' Bridge by Barbee Oliver Carleton
304 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

Young Dan Pride has come to live with his Uncle Julian at Pride's Point. The Prides are still battling rumors from the days of the Puritans when Samuel Pride was pressed to death as a witch. They have an ongoing feud with the neighboring Bishops, thinking the Bishops had Dan's grandfather killed and his money stolen. Dan must navigate the intricacies of new friendships with Pip and Gilly, figuring out his Uncle Julian, making friends with the vicious dog Caliban, and figuring out what handy man Billy Ben Corey is up to, as well as searching the area for his grandfather's briefcase.

I first read this story when I was in third or fourth grade. I think this is the book that sparked my love of mysteries! It has aged fairly well, although the descriptions of the bogs and marshes were a little "meh." All I needed to know is that they were dangerous. The map in the front of the book was necessary to place locations on the island and nearby points.

Nightwork - Nora Roberts - (Illinois/Lousanna)
Genera: Mystery & Suspense/Thriller
4★
Greed. Desire. Obsession. Revenge . . . It’s all in a night’s work. Harry Booth started stealing at nine to keep a roof over his ailing mother’s head, slipping into luxurious, empty homes at night to find items he could trade for precious cash. When his mother finally succumbed to cancer, he left Chicago―but kept up his nightwork, developing into a master thief with a code of honor and an expertise in not attracting attention? Or getting attached. Until he meets Miranda Emerson, and the powerful bond between them upends all his rules. But along the way, Booth has made some dangerous associations, including the ruthless Carter LaPorte, who sees Booth as a tool he controls for his own profit. Knowing LaPorte will leverage any personal connection, Booth abandons Miranda for her own safety―cruelly, with no explanation―and disappears. But the bond between Miranda and Booth is too strong, pulling them inexorably back together. Now Booth must face LaPorte, to truly free himself and Miranda once and for all.

In the beginning we meet Harry Booth who was only 9 years old when he became a thief. His mother had cancer and the bills were piling up, so the young boy saw it as his only option. I was amazed that a 9-year-old would even consider how to pay the bills... but, perhaps the situation "matured" him. As he aged he continued to break into houses...calling it his “nightwork". He is even proud to realize he actually has an unusual skill for it. He can pick any lock, slip into any house, and navigate the any security system. Needless to say, his "work" makes it nearly impossible for him to settle down. After his mother’s death, he begins to travel around the country, never staying in one place long enough to become suspicious. Then there's New Orleans. For the first time in his life, he makes a connection and finds a family-like bond with a fellow thief, Sebastien. He joins Sebastien on a job that involves a dangerous client, Carter LaPorte...and Harry’s life changes... forever. Harry tries to start a new more low-key life as a college student in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Things are moving along until he falls for a young writer... Miranda Emerson. To Harry's dismay he finds that his life in New Orleans is catching up with him... LaPorte isn’t ready to let him just walk away. He threatens Harry and two women that he cares for most... his aunt and Miranda. Harry protects the two women important to him in his life by abandoning them and spending years on the run. Then something happens that Harry thought never would... he finally gets a chance to take LaPorte down...and he has of all things...Miranda’s help. Nora Roberts took her time fleshing out Harry’s character and his motivations, making it easy for the reader to sympathize with Harry, the thief, who had a code of honor and a deep love for his family and Miranda. Since the first half of the book is mostly about Harry’s character, it causes the story to drag a little. Once Harry and Miranda’s story starts and when LaPorte reappears, the plot picks up considerably. The best parts of the story, however, is in following Harry when he's doing one of his remarkable break-ins and when he's displaying his "softer side" with his mother, his aunt, Sebastian and Miranda. Overall, the story is an in-depth exploration of a young boy and later Harry, the man's, motivations to take and continue this road in life and its resulting effects on him... laced with bit of romance and suspense.

China Rich Girlfriend / Kevin Kwan
3 stars

In the second book in the trilogy, Nick and Rachel still plan to get married, despite Nick’s mother’s opposition. They do end up in China, however, when Nick’s mother tells them she found Rachel’s biological father, whom she had been looking for. Unfortunately, when Rachel arrives to visit, her father and his wife have left the country, but her half-brother is there to welcome her and get to know her. So, Carlton and his girlfriend Colette host them. Ultra-rich Colette decides they should fly to Paris with other friends to do some shopping, though.

This was ok. I didn’t like it as much as the first one. The rich people really do get on my nerves sometimes, and I’m not a big shopper, so the shopping and descriptions and brand names, etc, don’t do anything for me. (Once again), with so many characters, it took quite a while to figure out who everyone was and how they were all related (and I never did figure them all out). I really found Nick and Rachel’s story the most interesting, with Carlton and Colette next. Things picked up toward the end of the book and there was a bit of surprise that came from Colette.

A Flicker in the Dark - Stacy Willingham - (Louisianna)
Genera: Thriller/Mystery & Suspense
5★
When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town. By the end of the summer, her own father had confessed to the crimes and was put away for life, leaving Chloe and the rest of her family to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath. Now twenty years later, Chloe is a psychologist in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. While she finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness, she’s worked so hard to achieve, she sometimes feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. So, when a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, seeing parallels from her past that aren't actually there, or for the second time in her life, is Chloe about to unmask a killer?

This is a well written, on the edge of your seat, first book by this author. It's also a psychological thriller about Chloe, the daughter of a convicted serial killer. The story revolves around a new premise...AFTER the killer is caught. The main character, Chloe Davis, is a psychologist in a new town where she is trying to lead a normal life after her troubled past. When she was twelve, Chloe played a key role in getting her father convicted for the murder of six teenage girls, including her friend. Two decades later, the pattern of murders begins to repeat itself around her. Filled with anxiety, shame and paranoia, Chloe tries to investigate the murders on her own in order to put a stop to them. In the meantime, she attempts to figure out who could actually be killing the girls since it couldn't be her father...he's still behind bars. Be warned...this book is addicting. What really surprised me is how incredibly emotional this book was. A serial killers’ "blood lust" makes no sense in most cases, but it makes perfect sense in this story. The bittersweet finale is the preverbal icing on the cake, making the characters even more realistic.

The Little Broomstick
By Mary Stewart
4/5 stars
Sweet story about Mary Smith, a ten-year-old girl who goes to visit her Aunt Sue and her family. When her aunt becomes ill, she is sent to live with her Aunt Charlotte who was kind of an outcast. But Mary and her Aunt became close and she experiences thing she has never done before, going on journeys, learning witchcraft and spells and befriending animals. Although this a juvenile book, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I finished Spellbound and Starcrossed by Allie Therin which are the first two of her Magic in Manhattan trilogy. In this we have a young man named Rory who scries the history of an object through touch and Arthur Kenzie who is seeking paranormals to help with finding supernatural relics that can threaten the world. Rory and Arthur make a very sweet couple and I'm a sucker for a well written fantasy romance so found these very enjoyable! I just ordered Wonderstruck and am looking forward to reading the conclusion!

I also finished Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, which is a young adult fantasy novel. I recently watched Shadow and Bone on Netflix which made me interested in reading on in that universe without rehashing the same story by reading the Grishaverse. I really enjoyed the story although if I had read it without having watched the series I think I would have been super confused!

Wolvercraft Manor / Cas E. Crowe
4.5 stars

Saige has been gone from her childhood home on an island for years, but her brother wants to get married there. The last time Saige was there, she saw her mother kill herself. Saige also “sees” things (i.e. ghosts) and because of this her father had her institutionalized. What the rest of her family doesn’t realize is that Saige really is seeing these things. It’s not all in her head. She is very anxious about returning.

Once there, she finds that her brother’s best friend from when they were younger, Jasper, is also there. He is a musician and will play at the wedding. What the rest of the family doesn’t know is that Saige and Jasper were not only in a relationship, they were engaged until Jasper just up and left without a word.

When Saige starts seeing ghosts again, it seems that Jasper is able to see them, as well, so the two embark on trying to figure out why all the ghosts are there and how to stop them from what appears to be a curse on the house and anyone who marries into the family.

While I feel like I gave a lot away, I don’t really think it’s too much, as so much more goes on in the story. The atmosphere of the book is very very creepy and very well done. The haunted old mansion. A storm that has them trapped. The ghosts are very scary and quite well-described so this book may not be for the squeamish. It was fast-paced. I also really liked the relationship between Saige and Jasper, though (not surprisingly) Saige had a hard time with Jasper, him having abandoned her way back when.

The Maid by Nita Prose
5*****

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by. Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter--she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, makes her an ideal fit for the job.

This was the choice for a F2F book group and as with others I've read for this group, I was quite pleasantly surprised. The plot is a locked-room mystery, even though it takes place in a posh hotel, and the who-dunit is told through the eyes of Molly Gray.

Molly is one of the hotel's maids and she struggles with emotions, reading people, and friendship. Her inner life is rich and she has lived her entire life in a small apartment with her grandmother. So for her, a clean and neat place meshes with her view of the world "as it should be" and makes her the ideal employee. Since her grandmother died about a year before the book opens, her life is not as filled with episodes of "Colombo" and "National Geographic" nor is her bank account full as it once was. Interspersed with these observations of her life and thoughts is the murder of a rich tycoon whose second wife befriended Molly.

When Molly becomes a suspect in the murder plot her naivete does her no good with street-wise Detective Stark. Just the opposite - it lends credence to her guilt since she was the person who found and touched the body. Molly knows how to be honest; she does not know how to use guile. And so the locked-room mystery begins: we know that Molly did not kill the tycoon, but who did? And who could have framed this young, trusting, hard-working soul?

This is a good, quick read that has a couple of good spins and plenty of "a-HA!" moments.

The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
4 1/2 ****

When the steamer "Drake" is shipwrecked off the Spanish coast, there are only two survivors. One is young Alec Ramsey. The other is the Black Stallion--wildest of all wild creatures--who saves Alec's life. Stranded on a desert island, boy and stallion develop a deep and special bond. The Black is the horse Alec has always dreamed of: beautiful, savage, and splendid. Alec is determined to tame him. But the job turns out to be more difficult and dangerous than he ever imagined.

It is a classic and deservedly so in so many ways. Once, when life was a bit slower, people traveled the world on ships. And the ships stopped at many ports, and at one of those ports young Alec Ramsey sees a magnificent black stallion that can barely be contained by his handlers. Somehow, he manages to come onboard the ship where a specially-built stall is constructed for him, and Alec manages to befriend him with a cube of sugar, a bit of apple, and the adventure begins.

What captured me as a young, horse-mad girl, at a time when horse pastures were being "zoned" out of existence in and around Atlanta, was the solitude that Alec had with his horse on the desert island. I was so very glad that the movie captured the look and the feel of living there, only the two of them, learning to trust one another, and eventually Alec climbs on The Black's back for that marvelous ride around the island, feeling joy in existence and possibilities.

What I noticed now was the publication date: 1941. This book was written before the US entered World War II, horses were still kept near people's homes, and the return Alec makes to his home is not quite as jarring as it once was. The training that Alec goes through with Henry is intense (how on earth did Alec stay awake in class??) but again, there is that sense that *this* is the most wonderful of horses ever and adds a bit of apprenticeship to the magic of The Black Stallion.

The Warrior Queens by Antonia Fraser
4****

Part of me wants to give 4 stars for the absolute brilliance of Fraser's research into these women's lives, and the other part of me wants to give 3 1/2 stars for the writing style. I think, though, that the importance of the meticulous research she has done merits 4 stars. And I've read other books by Lady Antonia and the research she has done still rattles around in my brain.

She begins with the history of both Cleopatra and Boudica (heroically "Boadicea") as the earliest examples of women who led their nations in wartime, and how they as warriors fulfilled Goddess imagery in their respective cultures. Her research into Boudica forms the main narrative for how warrior queens are remembered and changed by history. Lady Antonia also pulls together Syndromes (archetypes) to show how women who lead are viewed by their contemporaries and by history: Voracity, Shame, Appendage, Figurehead are examples.

What little we do know about the historical Boudica comes from the writings of Tacitus and Dio Cassius and, interestingly enough, from modern era excavations starting in 1915 of a "red layer" attesting to the burning of Londinium from the time of Boudica and the Iceni wars with the Romans. Fraser then continues with her research into Matilda, Maud, Zenobia, Catherine the Great, and the other women warriors with the legend of Boadicea as her backdrop. Which is a good way to tie the history together with a common thread, instead of having a thousand years and a host of countries and disparate lives.

The distracting part of reading this book, again, is the writing style. Lady Antonia can tell a straightforward tale as she does with Cleopatra and Boudica; she seems to fill an inner need by making asides and references within sentences again and again, thus filling in pages with writing but failing to advance Story as a whole. And maps - when will book publishers insist on maps when geographical locations are as varied as they are here?