The Secret Sister by Karen Clarke, and Amanda Brittany

  

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller
Content: Strong language, off page sex

 

Can you trust a sister who is a stranger?

Ella Matthews has it all. A beautiful house, a charming husband and a precious baby daughter – her life has pretty much turned out exactly as she planned.

But when Ella’s mother tragically dies, her perfect life starts to crack. Her mother had been harbouring a life-long secret. Ella has a sister – an older sister – called Colleen.

Excited by the thought of no-longer being an only child, Ella can’t wait to find her.

But Colleen has a whirlwind past of her own. Desperate to escape her troubles, she is ready to go to any length to start afresh.

As their paths collide, someone is keeping secrets… and when Colleen mysteriously disappears without notice, Ella can’t help but question if she should have started looking for her at all…

 

This is the second collaboration I've read by these two authors and I liked it better than the first one, The New Wife. I liked the characters better in this one and I read it instead of listening, so I didn't have narrators I didn't like adding to the overall experience. I docked half a star from my rating because there's a character—Ella—that was yet again, too stupid to live. Thankfully it wasn't throughout the whole book. I liked Ella except for when she didn't use her brain a few times. Her sister, Colleen was one of those characters that I kept wondering if I could trust or not, and I liked that aspect of the book a lot. 

There was a twist that surprised me in this one, so that was a real plus for the book. There was one minor plot hole that I found that I'm still wondering about, but overall I found this to be an enjoyable story that once I got going, I had a hard time putting down.

A Dead Ship in the Deep Black (The Lyra Cycle Book #1) by Rene Astle

  

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera
Content: Strong language

 

Rule number 1: Whatever you do, don't open the box.

Well, that’s rule number two actually. Rule number one is don’t take salvage jobs from people who’ve tried to sell you to an Antillian bug salesman.

Neara “Tink” Bell is used to a life of odd jobs and even odder crewmates, working as the engineer and all-around fixer on the cargo ship Lyra. But when the ship picks up two new crew members and a salvage job on a third-rate space station, things go sideways in a cosmic way.

Alek Wa is on the run. And he’s pretty sure he can hide amongst the motley crew of Lyra . But that’s not the only reason he’s on-board. He has a mission. If only his minders had told him what it was.

Captain Rebeka Mino just wants to retire with a whiskey and a steamy novel. She’d even let the ship’s cat sit on her lap, provided he keeps his claws to himself. Too bad the ship keeps getting shot at.

And when they arrive at the coordinates for the salvage job, they're confronted by a dead ship in the deep black.

Can Tink keep the Lyra running despite unexplained accidents? Can Alek outrun the people hunting him? Can Rebeka prevent their pursuers from blowing them up? Most importantly, can they keep their curiosity in check and not look in the box?

Find out now in this rollercoaster ride of a sci-fi adventure!

 

This was a fun space adventure that in some ways reminded me of Firefly, but it was still it's own unique thing. At first, because of the way some parts were written, I thought this was going to end up being too heavy on the romance, but I was pleasantly surprised when it didn't go that route. There are definitely two hunky men that seem to be interested in the same character, but I also knew that I couldn't trust at least one of them. In the end, I did end up figuring out correctly who could and couldn't be trusted. I thought that part of the story was a little obvious, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book. 

I liked the overall plot of this book and the ending made me want to pick up the next book right away and keep reading. I did restrain myself because I wanted to read other things before the end of the year, but I do plan on reading the second book in January.

This ebook is free on all platforms right now. 

 

Another book haul and a YouTube video

Hi everyone! I posted my first ever YouTube video today. It's short, but check it out at Recordings of a Reader and if you'd like to see more videos please like and subscribe.

 

I received book mail from Bridget Baker in December and I was super excited to get my signed paperback copies of these books!

Look, she even has her own packaging with her book printed on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I received my preorder copy of A Winter by the Sea by Julie Klassen. I decided to give this one to my mom because she loves Julie Klassen's books too, so I'll be ordering another one for myself.

I bought two more Tracy Crosswhite books. These were discounted on Amazon. 

This was another book that was discounted on Amazon. I still need to buy book one.

I bought several books from Book Outlet when they had a sale. This was one of them. I still need to buy the other two books in the trilogy.

Another Book Outlet purchase. I already had this in paperback, but this hardcover was less than I had paid for the paperback, so why not upgrade? The rest of the Book Outlet Books were cookbooks, so I won't post pictures of those.

And finally, I bought this deluxe edition of Dune on a black Friday sale. I have to confess that I'm not really a fan of Dune, but my husband is, and this edition is just so gorgeous that I couldn't resist buying this copy of it, even though he only listens to audio books. I kept trying to talk myself out of buying this book, but when it went on sale I gave in.

Blue sprayed edges.

The naked hardcover.

 

Beautiful artwork on the other side of the dust jacket.

Beautiful end papers.

After She Wrote Him by Sulari Gentill

  

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: Strong language; Sex that is not described in detail

 

Originally titled Crossing the Lines

If you get lost in a book, be sure you can find your way back . . .

Madeleine d'Leon doesn't know where Edward came from. He is simply a character in her next book. But as she writes, he becomes all she can think about. His charm, his dark hair, his pen scratching out his latest literary novel . . .

Edward McGinnity can't get Madeleine out of his mind--softly smiling, infectiously enthusiastic, and perfectly damaged. She will be the ideal heroine for his next book.

But who is the author and who is the creation? And as the lines start to blur, who is affected when a killer finally takes flesh?

After She Wrote Him is a wildly inventive twist on the murder mystery that takes readers on a journey filled with passion, obsession, and the emptiness left behind when the real world starts to fall away.

 

I enjoyed reading this author's book The Woman in the Library, so I was excited to give this one a try. From the description it sounded pretty unique, and the first thing I thought when I finished it was that this book was wild! Apparently this is called metafiction, and it's the first book I've ever read like it. I thought going into it that it would alternate points of view in each chapter, and I would be trying to guess who was real and who wasn't until the end. What I wasn't expecting was the way the points of view flowed from one character to the other in the same paragraphs. It was interesting the way it was done. This was definitely a slow burn of a book, and it took me a little while to really get into it, but there was a point somewhere in the middle where I was glued to it. My one big complaint is that the ending was very unsatisfying. I enjoyed reading the author's comments on the book at the end, and how she got the idea to write it. Apparently she put a lot of herself into Madelyn, which I found interesting. Would I recommend this? Yes, even with the unsatisfying ending, I'm still glad I read it. 

Running Barefoot by Amy Harmon

  

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Romance, Clean Romance, Contemporary Fiction
Content: Clean

When Josie Jensen, an awkward 13-year-old musical prodigy crashes headlong into new-comer Samuel Yazzie, an 18-year-old Navajo boy full of anger and confusion, an unlikely friendship blooms. Josie teaches Samuel about words, music and friendship, and along the way finds a kindred spirit.

Upon graduation, Samuel abandons the sleepy, small town in search of a future and a life, leaving his young friend behind. Many years go by and Samuel returns, finding Josie in need of the very things she offered him years before. Their roles reversed, Samuel teaches Josie about life, love, and letting go.

Deeply romantic and poignant, Running Barefoot is the story of a small town girl and a Native American boy, the ties that bind them to their homes and families, and the love that gives them wings.

This was yet another book by Amy Harmon that I loved. What I love best about all her books is the emotion that comes through the writing. I can feel what the characters are feeling. I absolutely loved Samuel and Josie. I did think the first part with backstory of them as teens went on for a little too long, but I loved getting to know about them and how they met. Also, I would have liked more in the middle about Josie and her relationship with her fiance. It didn't feel as well drawn as the rest of the book. I wanted to feel the love and connection Josie felt for him more than I did. 

 

“Like a shoe that has lost its mate is never worn again, I had lost my matching part and didn't know how to run barefoot.”  

 

I liked that Samuel never crossed that line of inappropriate behavior with the much younger Josie and I could understand why he stopped writing to her once he became an adult. I could also understand why Josie would be hurt by it and not understand, but I did feel like once she was an adult herself, she should have understood and not held it against him. I could relate to Josie as a teen. In some ways, I was very much like her as a teen, but at times, Josie got on my nerves as an adult. Even so, this was such a good book. I loved how Samuel came back into her life and how they rediscovered their connection to each other, and how everything ended up.

“I clung to him like my life depended on it. Maybe it did. I hadn’t seen him for so many years, and so much had happened in my life since I had last seen his face, but at that moment I was thirteen again. Someone I had loved had returned, someone lost had come back to me, and I held him fiercely, with no intention of ever letting him go.” 

 

 

The Sword's Elegy (The Sorcerer's Song #3) by Brain D. Anderson

  

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Strong language

 

The doom of humankind has at last been realized. Belkar's prison is broken and his army is on the move. The nations of Lamoria, unaware of the greater danger, look to repel the aggression of Ralmarstad.

Mariyah and Lem, certain that only the magic of the Bards can save them, desperately search for that lost knowledge. But friends and allies are what they need to complete their task. And they are in short supply. For, while peril often brings out the best in us, it also brings out the worst.

In the end, it is not great power, terrible armies, or mighty warriors who will influence the course of fate. But two lovers and the unbreakable bond they share. All questions are answered. All mysteries revealed. And even Belkar will learn that fate, once tempted, cannot be denied.

 

After loving the first two books in this series I was excited to read this last one and find out how it all ends. Unfortunately, this one fell a little flat for me. While I enjoyed things about this book, it just didn't have the same feel as the other two. One thing that was missing was the danger and intrigue. I was never sure how things would end up when I was reading the other two books, but with this one I never really got that feeling. I also felt like the book took too much time focusing on side plots and characters. At this point I didn't want to be reading chapters about Shemi that didn't really feel like they needed to be there for the overarching story. I was also a bit disappointed in the way things were resolved. I had hoped that the music would play an even bigger role in this book and the way the magic worked through it, but I didn't get as much of that as I wanted. 

Also, Mariyah’s  behavior became very concerning to me, she was way too merciless, and didn't seem to have much of a conscience. That's not the way I remember the character from the other two books. The thing I loved about the first two books was how devoted Lem and Mariyah were to each other even through all the changes and hardships they went through. They loved each other and were determined to be together. They never lost focus of that. It was a beautiful thing, but somehow this last book kind of turned that beautiful thing into, doing whatever it took, at whatever cost, no matter who else had to die, in order for them to be together. I get that saving the word was also involved and those are really high stakes, but I feel like Mariyah just wasn't herself anymore and she went too far. On top of that she felt very overpowered, and I wanted the balance of power between Mariyah and Lem to be more even and interdependent to defeat the antagonist. In the end the final battle was too simple with nothing big really happening. It was clever, and I could appreciate that, but it wasn't what I was expecting.

January 2024 Reading List

 I've got nine books that I want to read this month, so it should be a busy reading month for me. I'll put the books and their descriptions below.

 

Reading at Fantasy Buddy Reads-

 

A tranquil village.

A poisoned cupcake.

A murdered vicar.

A simple case - or it should be. But all clues point to the Toot Hansell Women’s Institute, and Detective Inspector Adams is about to discover there’s much more to the W.I. than bake sales and jam making.

Alice Martin, RAF Wing Commander (Ret.), and current chair of the W.I., knows the ladies of the Women’s Institute are not guilty. But she has a bigger problem. Toot Hansell has a dragonish secret, and she needs to keep the police well away from it. And she’d really rather not be arrested for murder. Again.

Meanwhile, Beaufort Scales, High Lord of the Cloverly dragons and survivor of the days of knights and dragon hunts, knows even better than Alice that the modern dragon only survives as long as no one knows they exist. But he also knows friends don’t let friends face murder inquiries alone. Beaufort fully intends to Get Involved.

This investigation is about to take on dragonish proportions.

Best put the kettle on.

A funny cozy mystery (with dragons), for anyone that likes their mysteries gentle and well-stocked with cake, tea, and friendship. And dragons, obviously.

 

 

THEIR CHILD WILL SAVE THE WORLD, IF THEY CAN KEEP THE DAMN KID ALIVE.

While preparing for the birth of his first child, Chrys Valerian is tasked with uncovering the group responsible for a series of missing threadweavers—those able to see and manipulate threadlight. With each failure, the dark voice in his head grows louder, begging to be released.

A young girl from a secret city in the center of the Fairenwild veers off course to explore the streets of Alchea, never expecting that her journey would end in chains.

Far in the deserts to the south, a young man's life changes after he dies.

When Chrys learns who is responsible for the missing threadweavers, they come for him and his family. He must do everything in his power to protect those he loves, even if it means trusting strangers or, worse, the growing voice in his mind.

Together, these three will change the world—whether they intend to or not.

The Hercule Poirot book-

 

Hercule Poirot is called on to investigate the murder of a brother and sister, in this classic Agatha Christie mystery now available in an updated edition with a foreword Sophie Hannah.

 “He was murdered, wasn’t he?”

When Cora Lansquenet is savagely murdered, the extraordinary remark she had made the previous day at her brother Richard’s funeral suddenly takes on a chilling significance. At the reading of Richard’s will, Cora was clearly heard to say, “It’s been hushed up very nicely, hasn’t it. But he was murdered, wasn’t he?”

Did Cora’s accusation a dark truth that sealed her own fate? Or are the siblings’ deaths just tragic coincidences?

Desperate to know the truth, the Lansquenet’s solicitor turns to Hercule Poirot to unravel the mystery. For even after the funeral, death isn’t finished yet . . .

 

 

Pick it for me book-

 

In the four long stories in this collection, Marlowe is hired to protect a rich old guy from a gold digger, runs afoul of crooked politicos, gets a line on some stolen jewels with a reward attached, and stumbles across a murder victim who may have been an extortionist.

Trouble is my business --
Finger man --
Goldfish --
Red wind

 

Reading with The Mystery Book Club-

 

Was the biggest case of his career the worst mistake he ever made?

Ten years ago, DCI Jack Logan stopped the serial child-killer dubbed 'Mister Whisper,' earning himself a commendation, a drinking problem, and a broken marriage in the process.

Now, he spends his days working in Glasgow's Major Incident Team, and his nights reliving the horrors of what he saw.

And what he did.

When another child disappears a hundred miles north in the Highlands, Jack is sent to lead the investigation and bring the boy home.

But as similarities between the two cases grow, could it be that Jack caught the wrong man all those years ago?

And, if so, is the real Mister Whisper about to claim his fourth victim?

A Litter of Bones is the explosive debut crime thriller novel from JD Kirk, an exciting new voice in Scottish crime fiction.

 

  

 

What if the chance of a perfect life… put your daughter in grave danger?

Being a single mother is tough, but I’d do anything for my little girl Scarlet. I’d given up on my career as a voice actor when the call came, but suddenly I was the new narrator for a secret book from bestselling author Philippa Roberts, who has been missing for eight months. It was a lifeline for me and my daughter.

I hated that it meant leaving Scarlet with my ex in his perfect new home with his perfect new girlfriend. But I knew it was the right thing to do.

But as I start reading Philippa’s new novel, I start to wonder if it’s no coincidence that I’ve been chosen to narrate it. There’s something hidden in the pages of this book, I’m sure of it. Some clue to Philippa’s disappearance. And I don’t feel safe. I think I’m being watched. My room has been searched.

And then my ex’s girlfriend calls in tears and everything starts to click together. If I don’t find answers fast, I’ll lose more than my second chance. I’ll lose my daughter.

Book club read-

 

Nick and Allie don't survive the car accident...

...but their souls don't exactly get where they're supposed to get either. Instead, they're caught halfway between life and death, in a sort of limbo known as Everlost: a shadow of the living world, filled with all the things and places that no longer exist. It's a magical, yet dangerous place where bands of lost children run wild and anyone who stands in the same place too long sinks to the center of the Earth.

When they find Mary, the self-proclaimed queen of lost kids, Nick feels like he he's found a home, but Allie isn't satisfied spending eternity between worlds. Against all warnings, Allie begins learning the "Criminal Art" of haunting, and ventures into dangerous territory, where a monster called the McGill threatens all the souls of Everlost.

In this imaginative novel, Neal Shusterman explores questions of life, death, and what just might lie in between.

Others I would like to read-

 

When the Duke and Duchess of Kent rent neighboring Woolbrook Cottage for the winter, the Summers sisters are called upon to host three of the royal couple's male staff in their seaside house. But they soon realize they've invited mysterious secrets and the sweet possibility of romance into their home.

Meanwhile, Emily Summers approaches a local publisher in hopes of fulfilling her dream of becoming an author. When he turns her down, his dashing competitor promises to consider her novel if she will first write a new Sidmouth guidebook for him. Emily accepts and begins researching with the help of the Duke of Kent's handsome private secretary. But a surprise visitor from her past shows up at Sea View, leaving Emily torn between the desires she used to hold dear and her budding dreams for the future.

Return to the Devonshire coast with the Summers sisters, where loyalties are tested, secrets come to light, and new love emerges.

 

 

 

Rule number 27: Don’t trust the weird Sisters. Or maybe it’s don’t steal from gangsters. Either way...words to live by. The Lyra is safe. And so is Alek Wa’s secret. His mission is over, and he can leave the ship. But he’s not sure he wants to. And when the Sisters of Elazir drop them into the Green Zone, Alek’s stomach sinks. The last time he was here, he fled with his life and barely got away. Rebeka Mino isn’t happy to be in the Green Zone, ruled by gangsters and reprobates. She can survive it though — she’s been there before. But then things go from bad to her ex shows up with a treasure map to a fabled ship. With the Lyra back in working order, Tink has no desire to chase after mythical treasure ships. She wants life to get back to odd jobs, the occasional salvage and tinkering in her engine room. But with her secret exposed and unwelcome guests, she doubts if things can ever go back to normal...and Alek Wa is still onboard. When the gangsters start shooting, their only escape might be to find a lost ship in a dark grave. Can Alek outrun his past? Can Rebeka’s ex survive their reunion? Can they uncover the mystery ship and its treasure? Most importantly, can they get out with their lives? Find out in this edge-of-your-seat sequel to A Dead Ship in the Deep Black !