March 2025 Wrap-Up

 In March I finished up 3 books that I had started reading in February, completely read 8 books and 3 novellas, and started two other books that I'm still in the process of reading. I had planned on reading A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan #2) by Robert Jackson Bennett this month, but decided to push it to April. I also haven't yet started The Poisoner's Ring (A Rip Through Time #2) by Kelley Armstrong but will get to that one first thing in April.

 

These are the books I started in February that I finished this month-

 

 

Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels #4) by Ilona Andrews

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong language, Some gore and violence, One sex scene

 

Reread with the husband. Still 4 stars.

Original comments- I love Kate and Curran together. I wasn't sure how I would like it once the sexual tension ended and they finally got together, but it works really well. I love the whole alpha male who shows his tender side to the woman he loves.

 

 

 

A Rip Through Time (A Rip Through Time #1) by Kelley Armstrong

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery
Content: Clean as far as I can remember

 

 I really enjoyed this mash-up of the mystery and fantasy genres. I liked the time travel element and there were a couple of surprises. I'm looking forward to seeing where this series goes.

 

 

 

 

Age of the King (The Echoes Saga #6) by Philip C. Quaintrell

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Strong language

 

 

These are the books and Novellas I read this month-

 

 

Kingscastle by Sophia Holloway

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Romance, Historical Romance
Content: Clean

 

This one was almost as good as Celia by this author which I rated 5 stars. I loved this!

 

 

 

  

 

Her Charming Distraction (A Change in Plans #2) by Rachel John

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance, clean romance
Content: Clean

 

This was a nice sequel to The Start of Us. I didn't think it was quite as good as that one, but I appreciated the way the author wrote these characters. They talked to each other and avoided to usual 'misunderstands' trope that is so present in romance novels. Everything the character did in this book made sense to me and I loved that!

 

 

 

  

The 3:00 A.M. Series (Henry Bins Books 1-5) by Nick Pirog

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery, Sci-fi, Suspense, Political intrigue
Content: Strong Language

 

This was a reread of the first 5 books (which were actually novellas) in this series. Because it had been so long since i read it, I wanted a refresher before reading book 6. I originally gave this 3 stars but I'm bumping my rating up to 3.5 this time. Also, After rereading this I think the cat thing is purely in his head, as in he is just pretending to hold conversations with the cat. You can see my original review here.

 

 

 

 

3:53 A.M. (Henry Bins #6) by Nick Pirog

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery, Sci-fi, Suspense, Political intrigue
Content: Strong Language

 

There were some big revelations in this one. Some of them I liked and others I didn't like. There will be one final book and I hope the author doesn't take too long to publish it because I don't want to have to do another reread to remember what has already happened. It was 7 years between books 5 and 6!

 

 

 

 

 

More good stories from Curran’s point of view. I love that we get to finally know what was happening on his end during these events. 

 

Curran's POV Collection: Magic Bleeds- Naked Dinner (World of Kate Daniels) by Gordon Andrews

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong language

 

 

Curran's POV Collection: Magic Bleeds- Conclave (World of Kate Daniels) by Gordon Andrews

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong language

 

 

Curran's POV Collection: Magic Bleeds- Awake (World of Kate Daniels) by Gordon Andrews 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong language

 

Protector of Her Heart (A Change in Plans #3) by Rachel John

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance, clean romance
Content: Clean

 

This was probably the weakest book in the series. The characters danced around each other for way too long! Both were afraid to say how they felt and it got old. I complemented this author on her first two books in this series because she didn't go that route, but this time it was the same old romance tropes. 

 

 

 

 

Pretending He's Mine (A Change in Plans #4) by Rachel John

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance, clean romance
Content: Clean

Still too much not talking to each other in this one, but it was better than the previous book. I'm interested in reading other things by this author because I know she can write a good romance with characters who actually communicate with each other.

 

Trouble Walked In by Mike Kupari

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery
Content: Strong language

 

This reminded me a lot of The Icarus Hunt. I enjoyed this and would read more by this author.

 

 

 

 

The Tides of Time (Storm Tide #1) by Sarah M. Eden

See my review here.

 

 

These are the books I've started but not finished-

 

  

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect (Ernest Cunningham #2) by Benjamin Stevenson

 

 

 

 

Deliverer (Foreigner #9) by C.J. Cherryh

 

 

 

The Tides of Time (Storm Tide #1) by Sarah M. Eden

 

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Romance, Clean romance, Historical Fiction
Content: Clean

 

In 1793, a storm propels Lili forward through time, kindling a love that transcends the ages.

Fleeing the clutches of Robespierre’s revolutionary Tribunal in France, Lili Minet makes a desperate escape on a ship headed to England, but her dangerous flight takes an unexpected turn when a violent storm catapults her off the ship and eighty years into the future, leaving her stranded in the unfamiliar world of 1873 England.

When lighthouse keeper Armitage Pierce rescues a woman from the tumultuous sea, he does not anticipate her silent, cold response to his gallant efforts. Though he is wary of this woman and her odd behaviors, he finds she is just as wary of him. And he can sense that she is not telling him something of great import to her. Only Armitage’s grandfather, a man seasoned by the mysteries of the sea, can seem to penetrate Lili’s defenses to offer her support. But as Lili heals from the physical and emotional wounds of her ordeal and Armitage continues to offer light and safety to her, a tender friendship blossoms between the two.

Yet the shadow of danger looms as the threat that chased Lili from France all those years ago reemerges in her new present. Together Lili and Armitage must navigate the challenges of a romance that grows to defy the boundaries of time and the perils that reach across the decades to ensnare Lili. As the storm clouds gather, Lili and Armitage face the ultimate test—discovering whether their bond is strong enough to rewrite the pages of history itself to save them and their love.

I liked the premise of this story. It reminded me of A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong a little. It also reminded me of the Hallmark TV show The Way Home with the time travel through water thing. This was slow to get going though, and it didn't keep me as engaged in the story as I wanted. The characters were very suspicious of each other in the beginning and it made them a little hard to warm up to at first, and I thought there was a lack of chemistry between them. I think it could have been there if the romance had just been more developed. 

There were frequent changes in language from English to French and it would have been nice to have translations each time this happened. It got a little tedious. One of my biggest problems with the story though, is the way Armitage and his grandfather spoke. I'm not sure if this was a real thing in that part of the world in that time period, or if it was just made up for this book, but either way, transposing pronouns was a really bad idea in my opinion. It annoyed me so much to read it. I'm on the fence about continuing with this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book.

 

 

 

 

March 2025 Reading List

 For March I've got 6 books planned to read, and possibly a 7th one. My in person book club is reading a book that I've already read and it's still pretty fresh in my mind, so I may not read it again.

 

Reading with the Mystery Book Club-

 

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect (Ernest Cunningham #2) by Benjamin Stevenson

 

When the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society invited me to their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide, I was hoping for some inspiration for my second book. Fiction, this time: I needed a break from real people killing each other. Obviously, that didn’t pan out.

The program is a who’s who of crime writing royalty:

the debut writer (me!)

the forensic science writer

the blockbuster writer

the legal thriller writer

the literary writer

the psychological suspense writer

But when one of us is murdered, the remaining authors quickly turn into five detectives. Together, we should know how to solve a crime.

Of course, we should also know how to commit one.

How can you find a killer when all the suspects know how to get away with murder?

 

 

  

Trouble Walked In by Mike Kupari

 

A search for a missing woman exposes a conspiracy that could threaten an entire planet.

Cassandra Blake, an employee for the Ascension Planetary Holdings Group—the largest and most powerful corporation in Nova Columbia—has gone missing. And her sister wants to know why. When questions need answering on Nova Columbia, Detective Ezekiel “Easy” Novak is the man folks turn to. But what begins as a routine missing person case quickly turns into something much bigger and more sinister, with implications that could affect the entire planet. It seems Cassandra wasn’t just investigating her employer. She had uncovered a secret effort to excavate and exploit an ancient alien artifact known only as The Seraph. Soon, Easy finds himself trying to unravel a conspiracy that may implicate not only Ascension but the highest echelons of the Terran Confederation itself.

 

 

 

 Reading at Fantasy Buddy Reads-

  

The Poisoner's Ring (A Rip Through Time #2) by Kelley Armstrong

 

Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell―even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body―and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs point to the grieving widows… the latest of which is Gray’s oldest sister.

Poison is said to be a woman’s weapon, though Mallory has to wonder if it’s as simple as that. But she must tread carefully. Every move the household makes is being watched, and who knows where the investigation will lead.

 

 

 

Deliverer (Foreigner #9) by C.J.Cherryh

 

The ninth novel in Cherryh’s Foreigner space opera series, a groundbreaking tale of first contact and its consequences…

In the aftermath of civil war, the world of the atevi is still perilously unstable. Tabini-aiji, powerful ruler of the Western Association, along with his son and heir Cajeiri, and his human paidhi, Bren Cameron, have returned to the seat of power. The usurper, Murini, has escaped to the lands of his supporters, but the danger these rebels pose is far from over. Ilisidi, Tabini's grandmother, the aiji-dowager, has returned to her ancient castle in the East, for she has powerful ties in the lands of the rebels, and she seeks to muster whatever support for her grandson that she can from among those enemy strongholds.

 

 

 

Pick it for me book-

 

Kingscastle by Sophia Holloway

Captain William Hawksmoor of the Royal Navy never expected to inherit Kingscastle and is none too pleased when he does so. Especially when he learns that he must marry within a year or be forever dealing with trustees.

As the new Marquis of Athelney, the captain takes command of Kingscastle and discovers much to be done to set it in order. He must also contend with his aunt, Lady Willoughby Hawksmoor, who is determined that her daughter will be his wife. When she discovers he is far more interested in Eleanor Burgess, her underpaid and much put-upon companion, Lady Willoughby shows she will stop at nothing to keep them apart.

 

 

 

Reading for NetGalley-

 

A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan #2) by Robert Jackson Bennett

The brilliant detective Ana Dolabra may have finally met her match in the gripping sequel to The Tainted Cup—from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy.

In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire’s reach, an impossible crime has occurred. A Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air—abducted from his quarters while the door and windows remained locked from the inside, in a building whose entrances and exits are all under constant guard.

To solve the case, the Empire calls on its most brilliant and mercurial investigator, the great Ana Dolabra. At her side, as always, is her bemused assistant Dinios Kol.

Before long, Ana’s discovered that they’re not investigating a disappearance, but a murder—and that the killing was just the first chess move by an adversary who seems to be able to pass through warded doors like a ghost, and who can predict every one of Ana’s moves as though they can see the future.

Worse still, the killer seems to be targeting the high-security compound known as the Shroud. Here, the Empire's greatest minds dissect fallen Titans to harness the volatile magic found in their blood. Should it fall, the destruction would be terrible indeed—and the Empire itself will grind to a halt, robbed of the magic that allows its wheels of power to turn.

Din has seen Ana solve impossible cases before. But this time, with the stakes higher than ever and Ana seemingly a step behind their adversary at every turn, he fears that his superior has finally met an enemy she can’t defeat.

 

 

 

Possibly rereading for my book club- 

 

Planetside (Planetside #1) by Michael Mammay

A seasoned military officer uncovers a deadly conspiracy on a distant, war-torn planet…

War heroes aren't usually called out of semi-retirement and sent to the far reaches of the galaxy for a routine investigation. So when Colonel Carl Butler answers the call from an old and powerful friend, he knows it's something big—and he's not being told the whole story. A high councilor's son has gone MIA out of Cappa Base, the space station orbiting a battle-ravaged planet. The young lieutenant had been wounded and evacuated—but there's no record of him having ever arrived at hospital command. 

The colonel quickly finds Cappa Base to be a labyrinth of dead ends and sabotage: the hospital commander stonewalls him, the Special Ops leader won't come off the planet, witnesses go missing, radar data disappears, and that’s before he encounters the alien enemy. Butler has no choice but to drop down onto a hostile planet—because someone is using the war zone as a cover. The answers are there—Butler just has to make it back alive…

 

 

 

 

 

February 2025 Wrap-Up

 I read 9 books in February, plus 3 short stories for the monthly reading challenge (short month, short books), and I started 3 books that I'm still currently reading.

 

Love Comes Again (Loves Comes #1) by Laura Ann

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Romance
Content: Clean

I wanted to like this more than I did. I liked the overall plot and the way the romance came about, but the main character and love interest were both too irrational at times for me. Add on top of that two over-protective older brothers that I felt should have been put in their place more firmly, and it just ended up not being a book that worked for me. I also wondered why this woman was worrying about what her brothers, who were grown men, were eating for dinner.

 

Summer with the Leprechauns by Tanis Helliwell 

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Supposedly Non-Fiction, but I'm categorizing it as Magical Realism
Content: Clean

Review to come.

 

 

The Affair at the Victory Ball (Hercule Poirot # 0.04) by Agatha Christie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Mystery, Suspense
Content: Clean

 

 

 

The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan (Hercule Poirot #0.14) by Agatha Christie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Mystery, Suspense
Content: Clean

 

 

The King of Clubs (Hercule Poirot #0.16) by Agatha Christie

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Mystery, Suspense
Content: Clean

 

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone (Ernest Cunningham #1) by Benjamin Stevenson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Mystery, Suspense
Content: Strong Language

Review to come.

 

 

Fat Vampire (Fat Vampire #1) by Johnny B. Truant

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Urban Fantasy, Humor
Content: Strong Language

I got this free from Chirp on one of their Freebie Friday deals. From the description it sounded like it would be funny, and it was! Some of the scenes had me laughing out loud. I picked up books 2 and 3 to listen to later. I noticed that it was made into a TV show and I was interested in watching the show, but the reviews aren't good. In particular, some of the reviews say it doesn't resemble the book very much, so that has me not wanting to watch it now.

 

 

 

The Crumbly Old Castle (The Irish Escape #1) by B.E. Baker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Women's Fiction
Content: Clean

See my review here.

 

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Mystery, Suspense
Content: Strong Language, A man walks in on two people having sex and we get a brief description of the scene.

Review to come. 

 

A Pocket of Stars (A Gentleman's Heart #1) by Laura Rollins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Romance
Content: Clean

I enjoyed reading this, but the typical romance novel misunderstanding at one point in the book drove me crazy. The way it was resolved was cute but unnecessary when just a little explaining would have done just fine. Despite that, I'm planning on reading the rest of the series.

 

Pretender (Foreigner #8) by C.J. Cherryh

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Sci-fi, Space Opera
Content: Mild Language

This one dragged in the middle, worse than most of the books in the series.

 

Dragons of Summer Flame (Dragonlance Chronicles: The New Generation #2) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Fantasy
Content: Clean

I originally gave this book 3 stars but I'm bumping my rating up to 4 this time. In some ways I like this book better then the others in the series. I think the writing improved and the characters felt like they had more depth to them. Tasslehoff is definitely the best character. I love him in this! There were some very poignant moments in this book that had me crying all over again. There are also some things that frustrated me about the story.

Tanis dies in the most anticlimactic way. He should have died in a bigger way than being hit from behind. Raistlin is too easily forgiven by Caramon. Steel Brightblade was a fool for far too long in this book. Even after he saw his god abandon him he went back and forth with which side he should be on. Also, it wasn't really explained why he finally took the gem off and how that stopped both voices in his head. It seemed like it was a good thing for him to have it and that Takhisis wanted him to get rid of it so he would completely join the darkside, but then when he takes it off it seems like something that was hindering him. It was confusing. Also, I thought Kitiara was doomed to be with Lord Soth after she died? Why wasn't she? Did I miss something? It bothers me that Kitiara is still somehow ok even after death. She's an evil woman that should be living her afterlife in torment.

There was one interesting thing that I discovered on this reread. At one point in the book Tasslehoff finds something with the name Haplo written on it. Haplo is a character in the Deathgate Cycle. This got me thinking...when Fizban / Paladine says he has to leave Kryn and he's going to create another world was he going to create the world in the Deathgate Cycle? There's a wizard that resembles Fizban called Zifnab in that series.

 

 

Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels #4) by Ilona Andrews

Rereading with my husband. Started but not finished yet.

 

 

A Rip Through Time (A Rip Through Time #1) by Kelley Armstrong

Started but not finished yet.

 

 

Age of the King (The Echoes Saga #6) by Philip C. Quaintrell

Started but not finished yet.