The Little Flower Shop (Indiana Summers Series #2) by Lori Foster

How did her love life become a community affair?
Since her divorce, Emily Lucretia—affectionately known as the flower lady to the people of Cemetery, Indiana—has been focused on her flower shop and taking care of her aging aunt and uncle. Her love life is hardly the centerpiece of her busy days. 
Saul Culver, the town’s favorite bachelor and owner of the local barbecue joint, has been interested in Emily for a while. But as much as Emily knows about flowers, she can be a little oblivious to her own appeal. Saul is determined to show her just how special she is.
Saul isn’t the only one trying to get Emily out of her shell. Well-meaning locals have started tagging photos of Emily with #theflowerlady on social media—and now the entire town is involved in finding her Mr. Right. Saul won’t give up easily. He’s  finally  caught her attention, and he’s determined to convince Emily—and the town—that this is the real deal and not just some passing trend.

I got hooked on the quirky little town and its residents as soon as I read Honeymoon Cottage. Needless to say, Cemetery, Indiana is a unique destination. 😉

I’ve mentioned more than once that I adore pretty much everything offered by this author, but I tend to lean more toward her romantic suspense. There’s something appealing about a light romance with witty characters and a small town full of quirkiness. And who can resist a town mascot that seems to take on a life of “her” own?

I think what I like most about the Indiana Summers (Cemetery Indiana) series is the way that everyone seems to look out for each other. That’s actually the new theme for the town. It’s kind of a refreshing concept to see businesses actually working with each other instead of trying to compete and one-up each other. That alone makes this a true “feel good” series.

I’m pretty sure that the series will continue and I can’t wait to see what the residents of this special close-knit town get into next. ❤

Shadow of Death (Amy Larson & Hunter Forrest FBI #3) by Heather Graham

You can cut off the head of the snake, but another will emerge.
When two hikers go missing within a series of daunting caves outside of Denver, Colorado, FDLE special agent Amy Larson and her partner, FBI special agent Hunter Forrest, have good reason to suspect foul play. The pair of hikers are only the latest to vanish after a rash of disappearances that’s left local law enforcement stumped. But in searching the dank caverns near the Arkansas River, the agents aren’t prepared for the horror they uncover: a muddy pit littered with corpses. Covered in bite marks. Made by human teeth.
When a tiny toy horse is found on the scene, Amy and Hunter recognize the calling card. They’ll have to move quickly before the already sizable body count can grow. Their investigation soon draws them down the rabbit hole of a dangerous cult with a sinister mandate—one that involves human sacrifices. Anything to further their twisted cause. But when more people go missing, it becomes clear the cult’s reach extends beyond state lines, leading Amy and Hunter deep into the Florida Everglades to set a perilous trap, one that stands to risk everything they hold dear, including their lives.

I first ran across the Amy Larson & Hunter Forrest FBI series when my local library ran out of copies of the early books in the Krewe of Hunters series. I started looking for more Heather Graham books and this one caught my eye. Although it doesn’t have the paranormal aspect that the Krewe is based on, it has just as much evil and craziness. So, when Shadow of Death was available for review, making the request was a no-brainer.

In Shadow of Death, the stakes are getting even higher and it seems that the horsemen are getting even more daring – if that’s even possible. This installment took them out of Florida and took them to the caves and caverns in Colorado, which made it abundantly clear that the people responsible had a much farther reach than even Amy and Hunter expected.

The Reaper Follows is the next book in the series and I can’t wait to see where the author takes the series next.

Death at the Deep Dive (Secrets & Scrabble #7) by Josh Lanyon

When Pirate Cove’s mystery bookstore owner and sometimes-amateur sleuth Ellery Page discovers a vintage diving collection bag full of antique gold coins tucked away for safe keeping in the stockroom of The Crow’s Nest, it sets off a series of increasingly dangerous events, culminating in meeting Police Chief Jack Carson’s parents. Er… Culminating in murder.

I had this one on my TBR ARC list for a while before I read it. Why, you might ask? The author released book 7 in the series before releasing book 6 and I didn’t want to read them out of order. (A shocker coming from me, I know, but there you have it!) It didn’t take me long to pick up Death at the Deep Dive after I (finally) got to read Lament at Loon Landing. That’s one way to keep a reader on their toes! 😉

I’ve gotta say, as far as mysteries go, this one had more than a couple of twists and turns. There were way more than average usual suspects, which made this one a pretty fast read. Even Jack was more likable in this installment so there wasn’t a lot of time wasted being irritated with him. LOL!

As usual, the quirky characters drove the story and I enjoyed my time spent in Pirate’s Cove. According to the author there’s more to come and I can’t wait for the story to continue.

Lament at Loon Landing (Secrets and Scrabble #6) by Josh Lanyon

Fakes, folk music, and ghost fires
When legendary folk singer Lara Fairplay agrees to make her comeback appearance at Pirate Cove’s annual maritime music festival, everyone in the quaint seaside village is delighted—including mystery bookstore owner and sometimes amateur sleuth, Ellery Page.
Lara is scheduled to perform a recently discovered piece of music attributed to “the father of American music,” Stephen Foster.
Several mysterious accidents later, Ellery is less delighted—especially when it becomes clear to him that someone plans to silence the celebrity songbird forever.

Finally! I saw in the author’s review that she asked readers to remind her never to write series books out of sequence again. LOL!

So, was it worth the wait? Yes! Not because there was anything earth shattering about the events that took place or that it kept me on the edge of my seat (though parts of it did…) It was mainly because I just love spending time in this quirky little seaside village with all its “characters”. As much as I love Ellery and Jack, I have to admit, I spent a fair amount of time being aggravated with the good detective. Sure, he had his reasons for acting the way that he did, but I still find myself sympathizing more with Ellery most of the time. *sigh*

Since I already have the next book in the series (and have for a while now…) stay tuned! Death at the Deep Dive is up next!

King Hunt (Perfect Play #3) by Layla Reyne

When love is the only play that matters…
Agents Bishop and Marshall know:
The clock is ticking.
They control the most dangerous pieces on the board.
Sacrifices will be required to win the game.
Levi and Marsh need to:
Get home to each other and their son.
Fall asleep in each other’s arms again.
Start living the happily-ever-after the rings on their fingers promise.
What began as a marriage of convenience is now the rock Marsh and Levi cling to as they enter the endgame.
But defeating two kings is no easy feat.
They’ll have to make all the right moves and lure their enemies to their side of the board where they have the advantage.
But winning may cost them everything—their careers, their lives, and the love that’s become the center of their world.

Things were left kind of up in the air at the end of Bad Bishop and, thankfully, King Hunt picks up exactly where the previous book left off – with Levi and Marsh separated from each other and pretty much out of contact. Those first few chapters are pretty tense, but they don’t stay away from each other very long. The action and danger doesn’t stop once they are reunited and that’s pretty much what you can count on in pretty much all the books in this world of intrigue that Layla Reyne has created.

There are quite a few players in this trilogy and even more are featured in this last installment. I loved seeing more from the Madigans and watching their family become even more intertwined with Levi and Marsh. They are definitely a group that you want on your side, even if there are a lot of gray areas in their brand of justice.

There was a lot to love about this Perfect Play. I adored David and the moms. I also loved the slow progression of Levi and Marsh’s relationship. The twists, turns and constant danger (as well as the spicy moments) kept the pages turning. King Hunt was the perfect wrap up to a great trilogy.

Although I’m always sorry to come to the end of one of this author’s series, I definitely look forward to whatever’s coming next. I hope we haven’t seen the last of these characters. ❤

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune

In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots–fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe. 
The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio-a past spent hunting humans. 
When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming. 
Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

That time that a bunch of robots reduced me to tears. I’d say it was totally unexpected, but not at the hands of this #EvilAuthor – yeah, that pretty much sums up my initial thoughts when I finished In the Lives of Puppets. As usual, with just about every book I’ve picked up by T.J. Klune, I got more than I bargained for.

The concept of family is taken to a whole new extreme In the Lives of Puppets. Victor is a human raised by his android “father” Gio. He grows up loving to “tinker” as much as his father and finds the rest of his “family” members and brings them back to “life” along the way. They include a nervous, needy little vacuum and a hilariously sadistic nurse machine ironically named Nurse Ratched. (Yes, the irony is strong in this one. 😉 ) They live in a network of houses built high in the trees in a forest far away from everyone. Finding HAP changes everything for all of them.

During the course of In the Lives of Puppets, Victor learns that nothing is quite what it seems. Secrets have been kept, lies were told and supreme sacrifices were made. He has a lot to come to terms with, but he’s not alone.

In case you’re wondering, yes, there were tears. Some happy, some heartbreaking. (Along with quite a few “Easter Eggs” that made me smile.) Things aren’t exactly perfect in the end, but as readers have come to expect from T.J. Klune, you’re left with a strong sense of love and hope. ❤

Sunset House (Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #18) by J.L. Bryan

The old Heusinkveld mansion overlooks the mostly shuttered main street of the small town of Burdener’s Hill. Once a testament to local wealth and aspiration, the brooding edifice now clings to life as the Sunshine House, a retirement home inhabited by an eccentric collection of locals bound together by fond memories of their shrinking hometown.
When a newly arrived resident finds herself tormented by a threatening specter from her past, paranormal investigator Ellie Jordan is called in to confront it. The entity puts up a strong fight, resisting capture, and soon more residents are in danger. With nowhere else to go, they need Ellie to remove the ghost before it inflicts serious harm or death on those who have made the strange old house their home.

18 books in and the Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper series is still going strong. It seems that there is no limit to the spooky situations that Ellie and her crew can find themselves in and Sunset House was one of the spookiest.

The supporting characters in Sunset House added a lot to this story – mainly because they were “characters” in every sense of the term. They were full of charm, wit and spunk. Their varied personalities and past life experiences added another believable layer to the story. I also liked the way that the residents interacted with the owner’s son. Speaking of which, I wasn’t a fan of the owner in the beginning, but she grew on me. Of course it took some drastic and life threatening happenings to make her come around. It didn’t surprise me that Ellie refused to abandon the residents, even when she’s pretty much told her services aren’t needed. Ellie and Stacey ended up taking some drastic and stealthy measures themselves to get to the bottom of the dangerous situation the residents were in.

There were a couple of unexpected twists and turns in Sunset House that I (obviously) didn’t see coming – and not all of them were of the spooky variety. Just another reason to keep following Ellie and crew, you never know what kind of situation they’re going to find themselves in. It looks like The Funtime Show, the next installment in the Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper series is going to be extra spooky… I can’t wait!

Conquer the Kingdom (Gargoyle Queen #3) by Jennifer Estep

Time is running out for crown princess Gemma Ripley. Despite being a cunning spy and a powerful mind magier, Gemma hasn’t been able to track down the most dangerous enemy her kingdom of Andvari has ever seen. Adding to her worries is the Sword and Shield tournament. With gladiators flocking to the capital city of Glanzen, Gemma can’t tell who is friend–or foe.
Determined to protect Andvari at any cost, Gemma hatches a bold plan, but things aren’t what they seem. Soon, everything she holds dear is being threatened, including her burgeoning relationship with Prince Leonidas Morricone.
With the kingdom she holds dear slipping through her fingers, Gemma will have to conquer her fear and unlock the true secret of her magic–or watch her friends and family die and her beloved Andvari fall . . .

I’m not sure how I missed picking up the first series in this world created by Jennifer Estep. She’s definitely not a “new to me” author because I have been a fan since I was first introduced to Gin in the Elemental Assassin series. I’m just glad that I finally dove into the Gargoyle Queen series and now that I’ve been introduced to the world, it won’t be long until I pick up the Crown of Shards series.

Conquer the Kingdom picks up pretty much where Tear Down the Throne left off. As the description hints, there is a fine line between “friend and foe” and Gemma and her family have made the decision to keep some of those “foes” very close. Things aren’t exactly as they seem on a lot of levels in Conquer the Kingdom. The story is full of lots of twists, turns and some interesting confessions and some surprising allies.

As with all series with characters I’ve fallen in love with, I was sad to see this series end, but I’m kind of curious about what comes next. I’m pretty sure readers haven’t seen the last of this world. ❤

Bout-of-Books 37 Progress

As usual, I’ll keep this post front and center for the duration of Bout-of-Books.

If you’ve been here before, you already know that my reading will be an eclectic mess of mixed genres, physical books, ARCs, ebooks, audio books and even some library picks – so consider yourself forewarned.

For once, I’m actually caught up on my review books (except for maybe one or two) so it should be easy to keep on track during the week. On a totally not reading related note – I’m suddenly super swamped with my day job – which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s definitely going to cut into my reading time, so we’ll see how the week goes. I’m also starting the week with a lot of books in progress, which I usually try not to do, but sometimes it just can’t be avoided.

And there you have it! My plans for the week – which are most definitely subject to change. 😉 Be sure to visit the Bout-of-Books site and find out how you can join in on the fun… after all, you were gonna read anyway, right? Why not join in on the epic craziness? 

5/8
Total Number of Books, Time & Pages I’ve Read/Listened to Today: 1 Book; Approx. 3 hrs. 35 min.; 16% = Approx. 67 Pages

• Finished Deep as the Dead (Mind Hunters #9) written by Kylie Brant; narrated by Bronson Pinchot (Audio Book – 3 hrs. 20 min)
• Conviction (Anna and Fin #1) by Denise Mina (Physical – owned book – Currently Reading @ Page 95)
• Continued In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune (Review Book – Read 71-87%)
• Started A Thief in the Night (Gentle Art World #1) written by K.J. Charles; narrated by James Joseph and Ryan Laughton (Audio Book – 15 minutes)

Total Number of Books, Time & Pages I’ve Read/Listened so Far: 1 Book; Approx. 3 hrs. 35 min.; 16% = Approx. 67 Pages
Books I’ve Read So Far:

• Finished Deep as the Dead (Mind Hunters #9)
• Conviction (Anna and Fin #1)
• Continued In the Lives of Puppets
• Started A Thief in the Night (Gentle Art World #1)

5/9
Total Number of Books, Time & Pages I’ve Read/Listened to Today: 2 Books; Approx. 4 hrs; 13% (Approx. 55 Pages) + 16 Pages

• Continued Conviction (Anna and Fin #1) by Denise Mina (Physical – owned book) 16 Pages
• Finished In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune (Review Book) Read 71-87% – Approx. 67 Pages
• Finished Thief in the Night (Gentle Art World #1) written by K.J. Charles; narrated by James Joseph and Ryan Laughton (Audio Book) 2 hrs. 45 min.
• Started Storm Cursed (Mercy Thompson #11) written by Patricia Briggs; narrated by Lorelei King (Audio Book) 1 hr. 15 min.

Total Number of Books, Time & Pages I’ve Read/Listened so Far: 3 Books; Approx. 7 hrs. 35 min.; Approx. 83 Pages
Books I’ve Read So Far:

• Finished Deep as the Dead (Mind Hunters #9)
• Continued Conviction (Anna and Fin #1)
• Finished In the Lives of Puppets
• Finished A Thief in the Night (Gentle Art World #1)
• Started Storm Cursed (Mercy Thompson #11)

5/10
Total Number of Books, Time & Pages I’ve Read/Listened to Today: Approx. 6 hrs; 13%; Approx. 120 Pages

• Continued Conviction (Anna and Fin #1) by Denise Mina (Physical – owned book) —-
• Continued Storm Cursed (Mercy Thompson #11) written by Patricia Briggs; narrated by Lorelei King (Audio Book) 6 hrs
• Started Shadow of Death (Amy Larson & Hunter Forrest FBI #3) by Heather Graham (Review Book) 17% – Approx. 37 Pages

Total Number of Books, Time & Pages I’ve Read/Listened so Far: 3 Books; Approx. 13 hrs. 35 min.; Approx. 83 Pages
Books I’ve Read So Far:

• Finished Deep as the Dead (Mind Hunters #9)
• Continued Conviction (Anna and Fin #1)
• Finished In the Lives of Puppets
• Finished A Thief in the Night (Gentle Art World #1)
• Continued Storm Cursed (Mercy Thompson #11)
• Started Shadow of Death (Amy Larson & Hunter Forrest FBI #3)

5/11
Total Number of Books, Time & Pages I’ve Read/Listened to Today: 1 Book; Approx. 85 Pages; 4 hrs. 30 min.

• Continued Conviction (Anna and Fin #1) by Denise Mina (Physical – owned book) 14 Pages
• Finished Storm Cursed (Mercy Thompson #11) written by Patricia Briggs; narrated by Lorelei King (Audio Book) 3 hrs
• Continued Shadow of Death (Amy Larson & Hunter Forrest FBI #3) by Heather Graham (Review Book) 17%-38% – Approx. 71 Pages
• Started The Good Daughter (The Good Daughter #1) written by Karin Slaughter; narrated by Kathleen Early) (Audio Book – Library Book) 1 hr. 30 min.

Total Number of Books, Time & Pages I’ve Read/Listened so Far: 4 Books; Approx. 18 hrs.; Approx. 168 Pages
Books I’ve Read So Far:

• Finished Deep as the Dead (Mind Hunters #9)
• Continued Conviction (Anna and Fin #1)
• Finished In the Lives of Puppets
• Finished A Thief in the Night (Gentle Art World #1)
• Finished Storm Cursed (Mercy Thompson #11)
• Continued Shadow of Death (Amy Larson & Hunter Forrest FBI #3)
• Started The Good Daughter (The Good Daughter #1)

5/12
Total Number of Books, Time & Pages I’ve Read/Listened to Today: Approx. 94 Pages; 6 hrs. 30 min.

• Continued Conviction (Anna and Fin #1) by Denise Mina (Physical – owned book) —-
• Continued Shadow of Death (Amy Larson & Hunter Forrest FBI #3) by Heather Graham (Review Book) 38%-66% – Approx. 94 Pages
• Continued The Good Daughter (The Good Daughter #1) written by Karin Slaughter; narrated by Kathleen Early) (Audio Book – Library Book) 6 hr. 30 min.

Total Number of Books, Time & Pages I’ve Read/Listened so Far: 4 Books; Approx. 24 hrs. 30 min.; Approx. 262 Pages
Books I’ve Read So Far:

• Finished Deep as the Dead (Mind Hunters #9)
• Continued Conviction (Anna and Fin #1)
• Finished In the Lives of Puppets
• Finished A Thief in the Night (Gentle Art World #1)
• Finished Storm Cursed (Mercy Thompson #11)
• Continued Shadow of Death (Amy Larson & Hunter Forrest FBI #3)
• Continued The Good Daughter (The Good Daughter #1)

5/13
Total Number of Books, Time & Pages I’ve Read/Listened to Today: 1 Book; Approx. 94 Pages; 6 hrs. 30 min.

• Continued Conviction (Anna and Fin #1) by Denise Mina (Physical – owned book) —-
• Finished Shadow of Death (Amy Larson & Hunter Forrest FBI #3) by Heather Graham (Review Book) 66%-88% – Approx. 74 Pages
• Continued The Good Daughter (The Good Daughter #1) written by Karin Slaughter; narrated by Kathleen Early) (Audio Book – Library Book) 5 hr. 30 min.

Total Number of Books, Time & Pages I’ve Read/Listened so Far 4 Books; Approx. 30 hrs.; Approx. 356 Pages
Books I’ve Read So Far:

• Finished Deep as the Dead (Mind Hunters #9)
• Continued Conviction (Anna and Fin #1)
• Finished In the Lives of Puppets
• Finished A Thief in the Night (Gentle Art World #1)
• Finished Storm Cursed (Mercy Thompson #11)
• Finished Shadow of Death (Amy Larson & Hunter Forrest FBI #3)
• Continued The Good Daughter (The Good Daughter #1)

5/14
Total Number of Books, Time & Pages I’ve Read/Listened to Today:

• Continued Conviction (Anna and Fin #1) by Denise Mina (Physical – owned book) —-
• Finished The Good Daughter (The Good Daughter #1) written by Karin Slaughter; narrated by Kathleen Early) (Audio Book – Library Book)
• Started Lament at Loon Landing (Secrets & Scrabble #6) by Josh Lanyon (Review Book) – 39%

Total Number of Books, Time & Pages I’ve Read/Listened so Far:
Books I’ve Read So Far:

• Finished Deep as the Dead (Mind Hunters #9)
• Continued Conviction (Anna and Fin #1)
• Finished In the Lives of Puppets
• Finished A Thief in the Night (Gentle Art World #1)
• Finished Storm Cursed (Mercy Thompson #11)
• Finished Shadow of Death (Amy Larson & Hunter Forrest FBI #3)
• Finished The Good Daughter (The Good Daughter #1)
• Started Lament at Loon Landing (Secrets & Scrabble #6)

Bout-of-Books 37 (May 8-14, 2023)

Okay, so it’s not quite as bad as the last Bout-of-Books, because this time I didn’t “almos” forget. However, I’ve procrastinated so much on my prep for Bout-of-Books 37 that I waited until the last minute – again. Yikes – again! Still somewhat embarrassing, but not quite so much.

If you’ve never participated, you really need to consider joining in on all the fun. There’s always crazy shenanigans, some crazy fast twitter chats and loads of ways to meet and interact with some crazy cool bloggers. Did I mention it’s a CRAZY week, but in a good kind of crazy way as opposed to…well, you know. Oh, and it’s also a great excuse to read as much as you can for an entire week! No pressure, just plain fun! To find out more about Bout-of-Books 37, read the official blurb below and follow the link to the Official Bout-of-Books blog.

The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It’s a weeklong readathon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 8th and runs through Sunday, May 14th in YOUR time zone. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are reading sprints, daily Discord questions, and exclusive Instagram challenges, but they’re all completely optional. For all Bout of Books 37 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

You’ll find me flitting around twitter, Facebook and hopefully Instagram from time to time this week, so be sure to say HI!