Books, Books, Books, and a Cat

A dual timeline mystery that will have you wondering until the very end who did it! Jane is an 84 year old woman who has many, many secrets.  When her granddaughters find bones on her property those secrets might just come out.  This story is told from Jane's perspective in present day and in the 1950s.  We also see the story from the cop, Clair Mundy, sent to investigate, The uncovered bones lead to more questions and possible more murder victims than just the bones uncovered. I really enjoyed the suspense of this novel and trying to unravel all the threads of who was involved with what.  Reading about teenage Jane and elderly Jane brought together both timelines in way that kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next.  There was a lot going on in both timelines from family dynamics, young love, and scandals.   I also enjoyed the deep friendship between Jane and Grace as well as the need for some characters to try and set things right.  ...

  Historical fiction with a twist of fantasy makes this a heart pounding read.   This novel features a mother and a daughter.  Each possess an incredible ability.  Alice, the mother, is featured in 1915 during WWI.  Her story takes us through her career as a woman doctor and then her transition into motherhood.  Beatrice, the daughter, is at a crossroads in 1940.  WWII is going on and she has spent most of her life at home due to an illness.  She makes the decision to get involved in the war effort to be near her sister but her actions could have far reaching consequences.   Both Alice and Beatrice's stories are incredible and left me wanting to know more.  The writing was superb.  This book gave me all the feels.  I think we all have wanted to rewind time especially when something major happens.  Alice's perspective really shed light on just how hard it is to want your own dreams but yet also want to be the best...

  An enemies to lovers novel but set in a world with love potions and magic.   Rosemary is driven to save her potion shop but there is a huge cost.  She has to convince Bowen, a guy who hates her to love her.  To make matters worse, she is pretty sure he is saying horrible things about her and trying to ruin her business.  As Rosemary attempts to do the impossible, she just may find out that she doesn't hate Bowen as much as she thought.  She also starts to understand what is truly important.  This novel was cute.  I enjoyed the world building.  Magic was an important part of their every day life but it involved different potions and seers.  This book just felt different from typical books where characters have magic.  At first I really hated Bowen.  I like Rosemary a lot and her quirky ways. but I was frustrated with her growing attraction to Bowen. He really seemed beneath her.  As the story went on he did grow on m...

 I am so sad that this is the last book in this series.  This book was a wonderful addition and I am going to miss these characters.  This is a wonderful mystery series!  In "Last Resort at Haven's Rock" one of their residents, Jamie, has been found dead while he was fishing.  It is soon discovered that he was murdered.  There was a stranger who had been camping nearby and he becomes the primary suspect.  However once the stranger is located it turns out that there is so much more to this story than what they originally thought.  An absolutely outstanding mystery.  There was some excellent twists and turns.  Lots of drama, secrets, and emtions to unpack.  I loved the addition of their toddler daughter to the story.  She added another dimension and anyone who has ever had a toddler can completely relate.    Kelley Armstrong is a fantastic writer and I truly love everything she writes.  This book and this enti...

 A  zombie novel that makes you laugh and gives you spice, what more could you want!  There is a virus that is causing the world to have horrible diahrea and then eventually turns everyone into a zombie.  Maisie spent most of her life living in a bunker with her mom and when she finally gets her chance to live the world is on the verge of collapse.  She is determined to go on a date and lose her virginity before she turns 30.  She goes out with Evertt who is still reeling from a personal tragedy.  However he makes an effort for Maisie but their date goes horribly wrong.  As everyone around  them starts turning they realize that they need to stick together to get somewhere safe.  Maisie and Evertt soon discover that the world may be falling apart but the two of  them may be meant to be. This book had me hooked.  The romance was sizzling and the zombies were on point.  Unlike a typical zombie novel this one was not all death...

  It has been a long time since I have laughed out loud at a book like I did at the beginning of this novel.  I was hooked!   You have a strong female who kicks her useless fiance to the side and within the same day finds herself kicking butt as she battles supernatural creatures.  Vivian goes hiking and finds herself saving the life of a bigfoot shifter named Hank, who has been attacked.  Vivian ends up becoming an important part of his community but she is suspicious that something nefarious is going on.  Meanwhile she finds herself getting closer and closer to Hank.  Vivian must decide what life she truly wants.   The first part of this book was so good.  I loved the action and humor.  As the book went on it was not quite as funny but became a solid romance.   There were great characters and I loved reading about the Bigfoot community.  I like that this book was different and a  great blend of a lot of di...

 This book kept me in suspense as I was trying to figure out just who was truly the bad guy.  This book had me second guessing myself in all the best ways.  Annie is a down on her luck 30 year old.  She tries to make ends meet by working as a barista and a cat sitter.  After the loss of one of her clients (cats), Annie needs her new cat sitting job from Zoe while she is banned from the usual cat sitting agency pending further review.  Zoe is a mysterious woman who lives in a gorgeous house.  Annie needs to take care of her cat, Hades, but there are some rules she has to follow and something feels off about the house.  Annie is a huge fan of true crime and really believes that this house may be hiding secrets.  As Annie's life seems to crumble around her, the job for Zoe feels like her lifeline but is it really or is it something much worse? What I really liked about this book was that I was never really sure of Annie.  I couldn't quite f...

  This was a fun cozy fantasy romance!   Poppy is a witch who sets out to be as evil as she can.  The only problem is her handsome neighbor, Finic.  Poppy decides that if she sabotages his acting career she will be able to get rid of the unwanted fae.  Only her magic backfires and now Poppy is discovering that maybe he isn't as bad as she originally thought.  Poppy has to decide if she truly wants to be a wicked witch or if she should follow her heart.  I just have to say that there is nothing like a cozy romance with magic to make you forget all of your problems.  Poppy was a fun character and I enjoyed the growth she made throughout the book.  There were some really cute moments with her and Finic along with many Shakespeare references, wonky magic, and fantastic baking.  This book is a true delight that will brighten your day and make you want to fall in love.  4 out of 5 stars Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley f...

 3.5 Stars- "Murder Unabridged" was a cozy mystery that featured a wide range of interesting characters.  This is the third in the series but I had not previously read the other two books.  I was easily able to enjoy this as a standalone but I was definitely missing some finer points about some of the relationships between characters.   Madeline is an actress and owner of a bookshop that she inherited from her aunt.  A distant relative comes to stay with her and claims to have committed a murder in her home.  Maddy thinks he is harmless though and lets him sleep over at her house.  Come morning he is dead and Maddy becomes the prime suspect in his murder.  Maddy must discover how he could have been poisoned in her own home before she ends up in jail.  This mystery moved along and was overall enjoyable.  However my biggest complaint with this book was that I figured out very early on who committed the murder.  In a mystery I rea...