Grace and Jo Have Never Solved a Murder by Jess Mey

 

Title:  Grace and Jo Have Never Solved a Murder

Author:  Jess Mey

Narrated by:  Stacy Gonzalez

Publisher: Spotify Audiobooks

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 52 minutes

Source: Thank you to @jessmeywrites #spotifyaudiobooks and TLC Book Tours for the review audiobook copy of Grace and Jo Have Never Solved a Murder.

Who makes the ultimate cozy companion for a sleuth: a sassy cat, a loyal dog, or a quirky best friend?

Grace is having a perfect day until she gets to work and finds her boss, Garrett, murdered.  She just recently moved from Florida to Philadelphia and the murder of her boss has put her in a tailspin.  Garrett’s wife, Jo, hires Grace to help her solve Garrett’s murder.  Together the two become friends as they use inventive techniques to investigate.  Will they solve the murder?

My thoughts on this audiobook:

·       This was a delightful audiobook that made a long drive go quickly.

·       I liked the concept of two millennial ladies solving a mystery.

·       I loved the “Murder She Wrote” references.

·       This audiobook had great humor and was a lot of fun.  The funny escapades such as pretending to be cleaners to find out information reminded me of something from some of my favorite romcoms such as Bridget Jones’s Diary or the Shopaholic books.

·       The characters were quirky and fun with great banter.  The heart of the story was the friendship between Grace and Jo.

·       I did guess the ending on this one.

·       I would classify this book as a cozy mystery, contemporary, and mystery.

·       I would love for this book to be the start of a new series.

·       I enjoyed the romance between Grace and an officer.

·       The story was told through Grace’ point of view.

·       The story is a clean read with no spice, but trigger warning, there is discussion of an assault.

Overall, Grace and Jo Have Never Solved a Murder by Jess Mey is an engaging and fun cozy mystery with great characters.

One of Us Must Die by Zelly Ruskin

 

Which domestic trope hooks you faster: a marriage full of secrets or a neighborhood where everyone is lying?

Happy #bookbirthday yesterday to One of Us Must Die by Zelly Ruskin.

Sterling and Keith have been married for over twenty years.  As their oldest daughter is about to be married, Sterling has realized she no longer wants to be married.  While she married Keith for love, it has become obvious through the years that he only married her for her trust fund.  He is flagrantly cheating on her and Sterling catch him during their daughter’s engagement party.  He is also spending all of her trust fund money.  Her parents put together a clause in their trust fund that she will lose her inheritance if she gets divorced.  How can she get out of this marriage when it looks like one of them must die to end it?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I liked how Sterling found herself throughout the course of this novel.  She loved her children and would do anything for them, including staying in an unhappy marriage and trying to make it look like a happy marriage.

·       Sterling believed hiding Keith’s bad behavior was a good thing until her almost son-in-law stated that he wanted a marriage just like theirs.

·       I liked how Sterling and her former best friend Whitney rekindled their friendship.  Keith hated Whitney and their friendship had fizzled because of that.  Together Sterling and Whitney investigate Keith and put together a solution.

·       I am still puzzled on why her parents have such a terrible clause in the trust fund.  Why would you want to trap your child in an unhappy marriage.  I was not a fan of Sterling’s mother. 

·       Keith’s character was one dimensional and just a villain.

·       It made me ponder, what lengths would you go to if you felt trapped?

·       The ending was very interesting, and I keep thinking about this.

·       I would classify this book as domestic drama, psychological drama, psychological suspense, mystery, contemporary, slow burn, and suspense.

Overall, One of Us Must Die by Zelly Ruskin was an engaging domestic suspense novel that kept me guessing until the very end.

The Undercover Bookshop by Katherine Reay

 

What is your favorite bookstore?  My favorite is a small bookstore on Mackinac Island, Michigan.  I may have only been there a few times in my life, but it’s magical.

Gemma Brown has recently left London in 1950 to work for a general store in a small Cotswold village.  As she makes a new home and meets new friends, she also gets cooking lessons from the mysterious Ursula Burton.  Gemma starts to suspect that Ursula is a Soviet spy.  Has Gemma read too many mysteries, or has she stumbled into an international intrigue?  What is her next step?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved the Agatha Christie and other golden age of mystery author reference.  There is a great list of all the books mentioned in the author’s note in the back of the book.

·       I loved Gemma and how much she loved to read.  She starts a small book section at the general store that she works at.  The community greatly enjoys it, and she starts a book club. 

·       Gemma is an orphan and I loved how she found a community, friends, and a love in Charlie, a local police officer, in the small village.

·       Gemma helps Charlie solve local mysteries and I enjoyed how she used her skills to finally realize espionage might be happening in their small town.

·       This reminded me of heartfelt historical fiction such as the Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society and Dear Mrs. Bird.

·       I did not realize that one character was a real-life spy until I got to the author’ note at the end.  It definitely added a whole additional element to the story that I had just read. 

·       Great discussion questions were included at the end for a book club.

·       The mystery was a cozy mystery.  I don’t want to spoil the mystery, but I was surprised by the end.

·       I would classify this book as historical fiction, post WWII, spies, espionage, mystery, Cold War.

Overall, The Undercover Bookshop by Katherine Reay was a delightful Cold War cozy mystery with a mix of espionage.  I loved the characters.

Book Source:  Thank-you to Harper Muse and @angelamelamud for the review copy.

A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder by Dianne Freeman

 

Title:  A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder

Author:  Dianne Freeman

Narrated by:  Sarah Zimmerman

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 21 minutes

Source: Thank you to @diannefreemanwrites, @kensingtonbooks, and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder.

When do you start to read Christmas books or watch Christmas movies?  I usually wait until November, but I am also usually tempted each year to start early with great new Christmas reads.

George, Frances and their family have been invited to celebrate Christmas with George’s sister Fiona and her husband Robert at their estate in Norfolk.  Frances, Fiona, and the children find their neighbor, Dr. Joshua Penhollow, dead in a field and it does not appear to be a natural death.  He was the coroner and the elderly constable in town is not interested in investigating Dr. Penhollow’s possible murder. With the roads also blocked by a storm, the investigation falls on the ladies.  Will they find the murderer?

My thoughts on this book:

·       This it the 9^th book in the Countess of Harleigh mystery series.  It can be read as a standalone, but it’s better if you have read the series and know the characters.  That being said, I joined the series a few books ago and have really enjoyed it.

·       A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder by Dianne Freeman is a Christmas cozy mystery.  I love cozy mysteries and Christmas.  This was a perfect book for me.

·       I liked how the kids were writing their own mystery based on A Christmas Carol.

·       George was out clearing roads with Robert during a large part of the novel, but he was back for the ending.  Fiona and Aunt Hetty helped Frances out with the investigation.

·       It was interesting getting to know the neighborhood during the investigation. 

·       I loved the characters.  It was enjoyed to “meet” the new characters and watching the “old” characters grow through this series and book.

·       There was a good ending to the mystery that I did not guess.

·       This story was very entertaining on audiobook.  Narrator Sarah Zimmerman had different voices and accents for the variety of characters.

·       This book is set in 1906 and is Edwardian.

·       I would classify this book as historical mystery, cozy mystery, Christmas, audiobook, Edwardian.

Overall, A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder by Dianne Freeman was a charming and delightful book that is a perfect read for the holiday season.

Deadly Charade by Lynette Eason and Kelly Underwood

Title:  Deadly Charade

Author:  Lynette Eason and Kelly Underwood

Narrated by:  Cynthia Farrell

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 33 minutes

Source: Thank you to @lynetteeason, @bestinsuspense, @revellfiction, and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of the physical copy of Deadly Charade. Audiobook purchased from Audible.

What is your favorite story involving a treasure hunt?

FBI Special Agents Kira Miller and Bryce Lambers are going undercover as a newlywed couple to break into a suspected Russian crime ring.  As Kira finds her feelings growing for Bryce, the mystery and adventure deepens.  Will they crack the crime ring while also finding the hidden treasure?

My thoughts on this book:

·       I liked how Bryce’s late grandpa and his journals figured into the mystery.  His grandpa was a great man who helped to raise him, and he also was obsessed with finding hidden treasure.

·       There was great chemistry between the leads, Kira and Bryce.  I enjoyed reading their developing relationship and love for each other.

·       The audiobook was interesting, and I enjoyed the accents that the narrator used.

·       I enjoyed the suspense and action in the story.  The story kept me engaged and guessing until the end.  Romantic suspense is one of my favorite genres and this was a great example of it.

·       There were great faith elements in the story as Kira finds her way back to God.

·       Bryce was neglected as a child and Kria was an orphan.  They both have trust issues and must work through them.

·       I love a good treasure hunt story.  I don’t want to go into detail and wreck the plot, but I did greatly enjoy the treasure hunt in this book.

·       This is the first book in the FBI New Recruits series.

·       The mystery was inspired by the real-life mystery of the Amber room which I had not heard of before.  Once I heard of it in this book, I did some online sleuthing, and I am intrigued.

·       The story started slowly, but it was really intense through the end.

·       The genres included:  romantic suspense, fake marriage, action, mystery, contemporary, treasure hunt, inspirational, and Christian.

Overall, Deadly Charade by Lynette Eason and Kelly Underwood as an entertaining romantic suspense story with a treasure hunt and crime ring. I enjoyed it!

Night of the Mallrats by Nicolina Torres

 

Title:  Night of the Mallrats

Author:  Nicolina Torres

Narrated by:  Jeremy Carlisle Parker, William DeMeritt, Emma Lysy, Charles Constant, Chris Patton, Craig Jessen, Jade Wheeler, Roman Howell, Rosemary Cline, Aaron Landon

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Length: Approximately 11 hours and 23 minutes

Source: Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harperperennial for the physical book review copy.  Audiobook purchased from Audible.

Did you visit malls as a teen?  Do you still have a mall you shop at?  My mom worked at an eye doctor at our local mall, and I would spend the day there as a teen while Mom worked in the 1990s.  I loved it. That mall is in sad shape today, but my local mall in Northeast Wisconsin is doing great.

Beechnut Mall is about to be torn down in 2024.  A group of five friends reunite and break into the mall to have one last adventure to remember their youth in the 1990s at the malls peak.  They also hope to find clues to the disappearance in 1994 of their friend Beth at the mall and the murder of her boyfriend Ezra on that exact night.  They suddenly find themselves in the past, witnessing the events of the day Beth disappeared in 1994.  Will they finally find out what happened to Beth?

My thoughts on this book:

·       I LOVED the on-point references to the stores of the malls in the 1990s, movies, music, and books.  I loved and read R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike teen horror novels.  I enjoy hearing them referenced and titles that I read and enjoyed.  Reading this book brought me back to that place in time.  I was the exact age of the characters in 1994 so it made this an especially fun read.

·       Jane Austen was also referenced several times.

·       The audiobook had great multicast narration to tell the story including interviews.  I liked that it also showed on the audiobook who the narrator was of each section.

·       The genres were mystery, thriller, time travel, horror, 90’s nostalgia, and LGBTQIA+.

·       It had a dual timeline between 1994 and 2024.

·       There was a sad statement how 1994 was a more innocent time for the characters’ lives as it was before Columbine, 9/11, endless wars, etc.  It made me sad realizing it was a true statement.

·       I liked how the characters are looking back as adults at their teenage choices and realizing they didn’t always make good ones.  Life also did not turn out for them the way they thought it would when they were in high school.

·       All the characters had secrets.

·       The ending surprised me as I kept thinking everything did it.  I’m still thinking about it.

Overall, Night of the Mallrats by Nicolina Torres was a fun time travel mystery with some elements of horror.  This book was made for you if you grew up in the 1990s or are a fan of the era. 

Falling for You by Natasha Madison

 

Title:  Falling for You

Author:  Natasha Madison

Narrated by:  Teddy Hamilton, Samantha Brentmoor

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 4 minutes

Source: Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @blackstonepublishing for the physical book review copy.  Audiobook purchased from Audible.

How are the fall colors where you live?  We are starting to get color now in Northeast Wisconsin and it is beautiful on my drives.

Collins and Theo shared a passionate one-night stand which ended when Theo snuck away while Collins slept.  Two months later, Collins discovers she is pregnant. She runs into Theo again and discovers his identify. When she breaks the news of her pregnancy to him, will Theo decide to stay or go?  Can Collins move on from her family’s criminal and neglectful past?

My thoughts on this audiobook:

·       This is the first book in a new series.  I am looking forward to the rest of this series!

·       This book was delightful on audiobook.  There were two different narrators, for the dual first-person narration of both Collins and Theo.  The female narrator did voices for all the different characters.  They were both expressive narrators.  I loved it!

·       The genres for this book were contemporary romance, small town romance, accidental pregnancy, and mystery.

·       I felt bad that Collins was saddled with a bad family, and it was hard to move on from it.

·       This romance was spicey almost immediately with short scenes of spice throughout the novel.

·       There were two epilogues to this story, and I would have read more.  I was sad for it to end.

·       There was a bit of a mystery solved at the end of the book, but the mystery of who shot Sierra at the beginning of the book was never solved.  Did I miss something?

·       Theo develops from a player to a great romantic partner.  I loved how he pampered and cared for Collins.  I liked the growth of both characters throughout the novel.

Overall, Falling for You by Natasha Madison was an engaging contemporary romance with great characters.  It was excellent on audiobook.  I look forward to seeing the characters again as more books come out in this series.

The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman

 

Title:  The Witches of Cambridge

Author:  Alice Hoffman

Narrated by:  Mena Suvari

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 12 hours and 50 minutes

Source: Thank-you to @simon.audio #SimonAudioInfluence for the audiobook review copy.

Who would you be if you could be a character from the book you’re currently reading?

In Cambridge Massachusetts in the 1950s, two women, Ava and Lauren, are recruited to live in the Lilith house.  They are both very different from each other.  Ava is a shy young woman from a small town in Maine and Lauren is from a wealthy Cambridge family.  The Lilith house holds the Lilith society which is a secret organization of witches that dates to Puritan times.  As women begin to disappear from the house, will Lauren and Ava figure out why?  Will Ava figure out the mystery of her past?  Will Lauren find out how to love both herself and others?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This novel had a dreamy type of plot as in the plot meanders along as more of a character study with the mysteries tied up at the end.  I enjoyed the journey!

·       This was a Read with Jenna book pick.  I listened to Jenna’s podcast interview with the author, Alice Hoffman, and it was very interesting.  I learned that this is a start to a new series, and I was very excited!

·       Mena Suvari was an excellent audiobook narrator.

·       I loved the dogs in this novel.  Ava has a black German Shepard / wolf named Jack.  He is a protector and follows her everywhere.  Another character, Lauren’s brother Lionel, rescues a Beagle from a testing lab and named him Houdini.  Houdini is an excellent Beagle name.

·       While this novel was primarily set in the 1950s, there were also letters found with the story of the first witch of Cambridge back in the Puritan days, 

·       The book related the witch trials of the past to the McCarthyism that was happening in the 1950s.

·       I really liked how Cotton Mather’s family was a part of the story through time and their known hatred and secret love of witches.  Jamie is Ava’s love interest and a Mather descendent.  I thought this was an inventive way to bring the Mather history into the novel. 

·       In this world, witches are real with magic.  They are different and the world wants to put them in asylums rather than to let them live in peace.

·       I would classify this story as magical realism, historical fiction, historical fantasy, witches, and dark academia.

Overall, The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman was an excellent atmospheric historical fantasy novel primarily set during the McCarthy era of the 1950s.  I love Alice Hoffman and greatly enjoyed this novel.  It would be a perfect read for the Halloween season.

Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin

 

Title:  Jane Austen:  A Life

Author:  Claire Tomalin

Narrated by:  Danielle Cohen

Publisher: Echo Point Books & Media, LLC

Length: Approximately 13 hours and 45 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible.

What person would you like to read a biography about?

Claire Tomalin writes a complete biography of famous author Jane Austen.  This biography shows that contrary to what the family published after her death, Austen did have a lot going on with her life with constantly moving.  She also interacted with a variety of interesting family members, neighbors, and family friends.  She was able to take her study of humanity to write wonderful novels that still delight the masses today.

My thoughts on this book:

·       This was an August pick for the JASNA Northwoods Book Club.

·       Tomalin suggested that Henry Austen may have been an inspiration for both Wickham and Henry Tilney.  It was interesting to think about.

·       This was very interesting to listen to on audiobook.

·       I had read this great biography of Jane Austen twenty plus years ago.  It was great to reread it again after all of this time.

·       I would classify this read as nonfiction, biography, Jane Austen, and audiobook.

·       There was more detail on Austen’s neighbors in this book than I needed.

·       This is a great book for readers who want to know more about Austen.  It gives a good understanding of Jane Austen’s world which I find helpful when reading her works.

·       I was sad again that most of Austen’s letters were destroyed.  We could learn so much more about her life if they still existed.

·       I liked the literary analysis of Austen’s works.

·       The author does speculate on parts of Austen’s life, especially her younger years.

Overall, Jane Austen:  A Life by Claire Tomalin is a very readable biography that gives a great overview of a beloved author and her world.

 

The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros

 

Title:  The Things We Leave Unfinished

Author:  Rebecca Yarros

Narrated by:  Tim Paige, Carly Robins

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Length: Approximately 14 hours and 32 minutes

Source: Checked out from Libby through the Kewaunee Public Library

What is a book that you would recommend as a good book club read?

Georgia Stanton has just gone through a brutal divorce.  Back home in Colorado, she is going through her best-selling author Great Grandma Scarlett’s estate and learns that author Noah Harrison has been signed by the publisher to finish Scarlett’s unfinished manuscript.  Georgia thinks Noah is arrogant and not the right man for the job.  As they read Scarlett’s manuscript and letters, sparks fly between them, and they fight how to end the novel.  It’s based on Scarlett’s real WWII romance with a pilot which did not end happily.  Should Noah end the book with the sad real ending or the happy ending that were the trademark of Scarlett’s romance novels?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was the August selection for the Rogue Book Club.  We all read this book and enjoyed it.  It prompted a good discussion. 

·       It was an engaging audiobook with great narrators.

·       I enjoyed both the contemporary and WWII romance.

·       I loved Jameson and Scarlett’s romance.  Scarlett wants to marry the man she loves and not the man her parents want her to marry to save the family estate   Can you really move on when your one great love is killed in WWII? 

·       Noah was able to help Georgia move on from her terrible divorce and to truly heal.

·       Scarlett and Constance were sisters who were always there for each other.

·       I would classify this novel as historical fiction, historical romance, dual timeline, and contemporary.

Overall, The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros was a compelling historical and contemporary dual timeline novel.