Be A Good Girl by Tess Diamond (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"As the head of an elite FBI unit, Special Agent Paul Harrison seems to have everything figured out, but beneath the surface, an internal war is raging. When he returns to his rural hometown for the first time in a few years, he’s faced with the memories that led to his losing the love of his life.

Fifteen years ago, Abigail Winthrop’s best friend, and Paul’s girlfriend, was murdered by the infamous serial killer Doctor X. Now an investigative journalist, she’s determined to find the truth. But when Abigail discovers evidence that clears Doctor X, she realizes the real killer is still out there and is striking again when local young girls begin disappearing.

Turning to Paul for help, Abigail joins forces with him. As an undeniable attraction develops between them, they must heal deep wounds from their past—and find a relentless psychopath who could extinguish their hopes for a future together."

My Thoughts:

This is exactly the type of book I have been looking for when it comes to romantic suspense!  As a girl that enjoys a good mystery and also a good romance, romantic suspense should be the perfect blend of the two for me.  For whatever reason though, I have a hard time finding romantic suspense books that I really enjoy.  This author changed all of that for me now.  I enjoyed both parts of this book equally and felt that it was a good blend of the two genres.  In fact, I really couldn't stop reading this book once I got going.  It was just so good and so hard to put down!  In this book, Abigail is searching for the truth behind her best friend's death that happened many years ago.  The police believe that they found her killer and he is sitting in prison for his crimes.  When she comes across evidence that may prove otherwise, she is drawn into the hunt for the real truth behind her friend's death.  The mystery portion of this book was both suspenseful and very intense.  Like reading as fast as I possibly could intense to see how everything would turn out.  But what also drew me into this book was the history between Abigail and Paul.  There was this easy chemistry between them from the very beginning pages and I couldn't get enough of it.  I also think that their shared history helped to make the relationship developing between them feel more natural.  It wasn't one of those instal-loves that I despise so much.  Instead, it almost felt like the relationship that developing was like coming home after being gone for too long - that feeling is the best way to describe it!

Overall, I am so excited to have found this author's books because I enjoyed this one so much!  I actually already have another of her books on my shelves waiting to be read which pleases me to no end.  I need more romantic suspense reads just like this in my life!  I found this to be a heart-poundingly good read and one that I couldn't get enough of.  I think that fans of mysteries and thrillers would enjoy this book just as much as fans of romance would.  I'm planning on reading more by this author sooner rather than later.  I would highly recommend!

Bottom Line:  One of the best romantic suspense reads I've read in a long time!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher.

The Echo Killing by Christi Daugherty (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"A city of antebellum architecture, picturesque parks, and cobblestone streets, Savannah moves at a graceful pace. But for Harper McClain, the timeless beauty and culture that distinguishes her home’s Southern heritage vanishes during the dark and dangerous nights. She wouldn’t have it any other way. Not even finding her mother brutally murdered in their home when she was twelve has made her love Savannah any less.

Her mother’s killer was never found, and that unsolved murder left Harper with an obsession that drove her to become one of the best crime reporters in the state of Georgia. She spends her nights with the police, searching for criminals. Her latest investigation takes her to the scene of a homicide where the details are hauntingly familiar: a young girl being led from the scene by a detective, a female victim naked and stabbed multiple times in the kitchen, and no traces of any evidence pointing towards a suspect.

Harper has seen all of this before in her own life. The similarities between the murder of Marie Whitney and her own mother’s death lead her to believe they’re both victims of the same killer. At last, she has the chance to find the murderer who’s eluded justice for fifteen years and make sure another little girl isn’t forever haunted by a senseless act of violence―even if it puts Harper in the killer’s cross-hairs…"

My Thoughts:

This book was an excellent beginning to a new mystery series and I enjoyed my time reading it!  I'm not going to lie - I added this one to my TBR list based off of that gorgeous cover alone.  The book itself was just as good as I had hoped though and left me very excited about both this author and series!  One of the things that I liked best about this book was that it wasn't your typical detective mystery.  Harper is a crime reporter for a newspaper who pushes to the edge sometimes to get her story.  It is only when she comes across a crime scene that eerily reminds her of her past (her mother was murdered when she was younger) that she starts investigating both the recent crime and her mother's murder.  The similarities between the two crimes was intriguing but it was Harper herself that really made the story stand out for me.  She just came to life between the pages even when some of the choices that she made had me cringing.  In just a very short time she became obsessed with figuring out what happened to her mother so long ago (hence the reason for some of those bad choices).  It added this layer of tension to the story that caused me to be unable to stop reading.  I did guess the actual bad guy towards the end of the book although I couldn't figure out the whys behind it all.  Even figuring that much out, I found myself very surprised by the ending of the book and very eager to get my hands on book two.  It was so good but now I need more!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am now left with the long wait for book two.  But this one was so good that it will be completely worth the wait!  I tried not to give too much away because I didn't want to spoil anything but I obviously can't say enough good things.  I feel like I've hit a streak of finding new mystery authors to be really excited about and this author is on that list.  It was just such a great mystery and that ending left me wanting more.  I almost forgot to mention that I really enjoyed the Georgia setting.  There is just something about books set in the South that I love.  If you enjoy mysteries and suspenseful reads then this is a book to check out!  I'm in awe that this book is the author's debut because it is just so good!  I would highly recommend (I'm sure you can tell as this feels like it has turned into a gush fest).  So very good!

Bottom Line:  A mystery where the characters and setting swept me away and left me wanting more!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. 

This book releases today on March 13th if you want to check it out!

A Whisper of Bones by Ellen Hart (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Britt Ickles doesn't remember much from her only visit to her mother's childhood home when she was a kid, except for playing with her cousin Timmy and the eruption of a sudden family feud. That's why, when she drops by unannounced after years of silence, she's shocked when her aunts tell her Timmy never existed, that she must be confusing him with someone else. But Britt can't shake the feeling that Timmy did exist...and that something horrible has happened to him. Something her aunts want to cover up.

Britt hires Jane Lawless, hoping the private investigator can figure out what really happened to her cousin. When a fire in the family's garage leads to the discovery of buried bones and one of the aunts dies suddenly and suspiciously, Jane can't help but be pulled into the case. Do the bones belong to Timmy? Was the aunt's death an accident, suicide, or homicide? What dark secret has this family been hiding for decades? It all depends on Jane Lawless to unravel."

My Thoughts:

A Whisper of Bones is one of those books that I was intrigued by from the very beginning.  With a great cover and a unique summary, I just couldn't help wanting to read this one.  The idea of a woman remembering a little boy from her childhood only to be told that he doesn't exist was too much for me to resist.  I just knew that I had to read it despite the fact that this is book #25 in this long standing mystery series.  Happily enough, it didn't matter in the slightest that I hadn't read the previous books as I found myself sucked into this book with ease.  The thing that I really liked about this book was the mystery portion and how unexpected that it all was.  Jane is hired basically to determine if Timmy is real or not.  That alone had me reading without stopping because I just couldn't figure out how she was going to be able to do that.  Then the bones were found in the garage and I was seriously hooked.  This book also featured some interesting secondary characters that I enjoyed reading about.  I'm sure that without having read the previous books I'm missing some back stories there but it didn't detract from my reading experience in the slightest.  Instead it just made me go and the first book to my TBR list to read soon.  I really enjoyed my time with this book and found that I didn't want to stop reading.  I loved the way this book wrapped up but I won't tell you much more than that so I don't spoil anything.  I just found it to be perfectly tied up and it left me excited to read more from this series!

Overall, I found this book to be a really great mystery and a series that I want to read more of.  I find it so surprising that I hadn't heard of this author until now but I'm glad that I found her books.  I'm looking forward to picking up book one in the very near future.  I do love that I have so many books to look forward to!  Readers that are looking for diverse characters - this book features a main character who is LGTBQ.  I thought it was worth mentioning because so many readers are really trying to expand their reading in ways like this - I know that I am!  If you are looking for a unique mystery, I would definitely recommend this book!  I think that this series is considered to be a cozy mystery series but I'm really not for sure on that.  All I can say is that I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read more!  Mystery, suspense, and cozy mystery fans alike should give this book and series a shot!

Bottom Line:  An enjoyable mystery that left me excited to read more from this series!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

 A Whisper of Bones releases today February 27th if you are interested!

Lost Girls by Angela Marsons (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Two girls go missing. Only one will return.  
The couple that offers the highest amount will see their daughter again. The losing couple will not. Make no mistake. One child will die. 

When nine-year-old best friends Charlie and Amy disappear, two families are plunged into a living nightmare. A text message confirms the unthinkable; that the girls are the victims of a terrifying kidnapping. 

And when a second text message pits the two families against each other for the life of their children, the clock starts ticking for D.I. Kim Stone and the squad. 

Seemingly outwitted at every turn, as they uncover a trail of bodies, Stone realises that these ruthless killers might be the most deadly she has ever faced. And that their chances of bringing the girls home alive, are getting smaller by the hour… 

Untangling a dark web of secrets from the families’ past might hold the key to solving this case. But can Kim stay alive long enough to do so? Or will someone’s child pay the ultimate price?"

My Thoughts:

I've been meaning to read this book for months and am so glad that I finally did just that!  I have a tendency to hoard books in my favorite series but never read them as I don't want to run out of books to look forward to (yes, I'm weird like that).  But then I realized that there are seven books in this series and I've fallen way behind so I decided it was time to start catching up.  Reading this book reminded my why I love this series so much.  It was heart-poundingly good and such a thrill ride!  The premise is honestly too horrifying to think about.  Two families are torn apart when their daughters are kidnapped and to get them back they are told to make the highest bid.  I cannot even imagine and wouldn't want to!  It raised the tension level in this book to about a ten though which meant that I didn't want to stop reading.  I loved the fact that in this book we got to see a different type of investigation for Kim to be working rather than a murder investigation.  The thoughts of what these two missing girls must be going through was haunting Kim and even effecting her investigation at times.  As I've said before, she is one of my favorite main characters in a mystery series due to her personality and dark past.  She is just so interesting to read about and you never know what she is going to do next.  That was definitely apparent in this book as she was basically willing to do anything to get those girls back.  I found the last half of the book so incredibly intense that I basically couldn't stop reading.  I was cooking dinner last night with one hand and had my kindle in the other.  Seriously, I had hit the point of no return and just had to see how it was all going to end!

Overall, I enjoyed this book so much and found that it was another great addition to one of my favorite mystery series!  I can't say enough good things about this series or these books.  I've been reading them in order but I really do think that you could read them out of order without it effecting your enjoyment of each book.  If you enjoy tense, thrilling reads then this is a series for you.  Each book has been different but so compulsively readable.  The first two books made my best of lists for the years that I read them and I don't think that this one will be any different.  I'm kicking myself now for waiting so long to read this book.  Luckily, I already have book four loaded on my kindle so I won't be waiting much longer to dive into that one.  I would highly recommend this book and this series!

Bottom Line:  Another top read from one of my favorite series!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

Look For Me by Lisa Gardner (thoughts)

Summary From Goodreads:

"In #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner's latest twisty thrill ride, Detective D. D. Warren and Find Her's Flora Dane return in a race against the clock to either save a young girl's life . . . or bring her to justice.

The home of a family of five is now a crime scene: four of them savagely murdered, one—a sixteen-year-old girl—missing. Was she lucky to have escaped? Or is her absence evidence of something sinister? Detective D. D. Warren is on the case—but so is survivor-turned-avenger Flora Dane. Seeking different types of justice, they must make sense of the clues left behind by a young woman who, whether as victim or suspect, is silently pleading, Look for me."

My Thoughts:

Two years ago I read and absolutely loved Find Her by this author which was also the first book that I had ever read in this series.  I've intended to get back to this series every since then but it was only with this book that I finally did.  It actually worked out perfectly as this book also features Flora Dane from Find Her.  I had very high hopes for this book and it definitely didn't disappoint!  I started reading this book and just couldn't stop - it was that good!  Both of Gardner's books that I've read are definitely on the darker side so probably not for everyone....but they are SO readable and compelling.  I spent the entire time while reading this book trying to figure out what was going on and also trying to guess on how it would all end.  If you are wondering, I wasn't successful in figuring it all out.  I really liked that this book was told from both D.D.'s point of view and also Flora's.  I enjoyed the fact that with this book we got to see more of how Flora is doing and coping after everything that happened to her in a previous book.  You definitely need to read Find Her first or this book will give a lot of what happened away in that previous book but you could certainly read this series out of order.  I did and I've loved both of the books that I've read so far!  I'm trying not to say too much as I don't want to spoil anything but this is a book and series to check out!

Overall, I couldn't get enough of this book and am guessing that there is a good chance that it will end up on my top reads list for 2018!  It was just that good and a book that I couldn't get enough of!  I really, really need to go back now and start at the beginning of this series so I can catch up with D.D.'s earlier mysteries.  After enjoying both of the books that I've read by this author so much, I definitely plan on reading everything and anything that she has written.  Luckily for me, I believe that I already have book one on my shelves just waiting to be read!  I cannot say enough good things about this book and this series so far.  I would recommend this book to mystery and thriller fans alike!  It is a dark and thrilling read but so completely worth the ride!  I loved every minute of it!  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  This is an author that I need to read more of and a series I can't get enough of!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

This book releases today, February 6th if you want to check it out!

Biscuits and Slashed Browns by Maddie Day (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"For country-store owner Robbie Jordan, the National Maple Syrup Festival is a sweet escape from late-winter in South Lick, Indiana--until murder saps the life out of the celebration . . .

As Robbie arranges a breakfast-themed cook-off at Pans 'N Pancakes, visitors pour into Brown County for the annual maple extravaganza. Unfortunately, that includes Professor Connolly, a know-it-all academic from Boston who makes enemies everywhere he goes--and this time, bad manners prove deadly. Soon after clashing with several scientists at a maple tree panel, the professor is found dead outside a sugar shack, stabbed to death by a local restaurateur's knife. When an innocent woman gets dragged into the investigation and a biologist mysteriously disappears, Robbie drops her winning maple biscuits to search for answers. But can she help police crack the case before another victim is caught in a sticky situation with a killer?"

My Thoughts:

This cozy mystery series is a personal favorite of mine so I've been waiting impatiently to get my hands on this book.  There is just something so delightful about diving back into this series with each book.  They have almost become comfort reads at this point as I know to expect mouthwatering descriptions of all sorts of food along with a mystery that keeps me guessing.  In this book, Robbie gets involved in the search for a killer after her aunt comes across a body during the Maple Syrup Festival.  Robbie's knack for puzzles and natural curiosity always seem to pull her into investigating which in turn leads her into trouble.  I loved that with this book we got to see all of the characters that we know and love but also were introduced to a few new ones.  My favorite parts of the book though are the times when Robbie is working in her restaurant.  I love the little details that are included about prepping the various foods that she is going to serve.  The times when she is actually working in her restaurant and interacting with her customers are just so fun to read about!

Overall, I enjoyed this book and thought it was another good addition to this series.  I feel like you basically know what you are getting when picking up these books but that isn't a bad thing.  It is just that feeling of visiting with old friends - I look forward to these books so that I can dive into this world once again. It is going to be another long wait for the next book to be released but it will be worth the wait!  I'm actually really excited because it looks like we will be getting the fifth book this year as well.  You can certainly read this book as a standalone but I would recommend reading the series in order if possible.  There are pieces from previous books that you will miss out on otherwise.  Overall, this is a cozy series that I highly recommend!  One of my favorites and one that I wait impatiently for each new book on.

Bottom Line:  Another great addition to one of my favorite cozy mystery series!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

Biscuits and Slashed Browns was released today on January 30th!

The Sunday Post #41 (No Sleep Edition)

"The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme"

I'm writing up this post on Saturday evening as I have a sleepover in progress for my youngest and won't be getting sleep anytime soon.  I figured now would be the perfect time to get some blogging in ahead of the game as tomorrow all I'm going to want to do is relax.  That's not going to happen but hey...a girl can always dream!  It's my youngest son's birthday today - he is eight years old.  It's entirely too crazy to think how fast the time has gone but he is a great kid who completes our crazy family.  He is having a great birthday with lots of friends to hang with for the night.  Good times for them...no sleep for me.  LOL!

Life went back to normal this week with work, overtime, practices, and more.  This is technically our "quieter" time when it comes to sports but that honestly doesn't mean too much.  My oldest has football lifting four days a week.  My daughter has softball practice two days a week and then my youngest has basketball practice one night.  That's not counting basketball games on Sunday as well.  I'm tired just typing it.  I still managed to have another great week of reading though so that's a win!  I finished two more books which puts me at six books read for the year already.  Who is this girl???  I've now read four books that count towards #COYER Winter Switch.  My goal is ten books read so I'm getting there but need to focus on reading my e-books a bit more often if I want to meet that goal.  Exercise-wise I ran once but did exercises (sit-ups, etc) two other nights so that's definitely better than last week!  I'll probably take next week off of running entirely and just focus on my other exercises instead.  But on to the books!  Here is what I finished last week:

A Whisper of Bones by Ellen Hart is book #4 read for #COYER Winter Switch.  It was an enjoyable read and has me excited to now go back to the beginning of this long running series.  Also it features a lesbian main character if you are looking to diversify your reading a bit.  I won't be sharing my thoughts on this one until February since that is closer to when this book releases.

Montana Heat: Escape to You by Jennifer Ryan was a mixed bag for me.  I enjoyed parts of it and some of it not so much.  I liked it enough that I want to read more by this author so not all bad but not all good either.  I'll try to explain it a bit better in my review.  It was a good change of pace switching to a romance after finishing a couple of mysteries though.  I'm going to try to do that more often this year!

I'm now currently reading the following:

Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley is my current print read.  I've been wanting to read this one every since I first heard about it.  I've just barely begun but I can already tell that I'm going to like it.  This is my first book by Ashley despite my having her other series on my TBR list for some time now.  Look For Me by Lisa Gardner will be my next Kindle read.  I haven't actually started reading it yet but it is definitely up next.  Two years ago I read and loved Find Me by this author (it was a top ten read for me).  This book features some of the same characters and I'm so excited to read it!  I have very high hopes for both of these books!

New Additions:

 

I've been a bit horrible this week when it comes to new books as you can see.  And this is the reason why my NetGalley ratio never seems to get any better....I just keep requesting more.  Sigh.  I think that I need #COYER to be a year long challenge at the rate that I'm going.  There are just SO MANY good books though!  And I want to read them all!  (Please know that I'm shaking my head at myself over here LOL!)

Plans for tomorrow (or today when you are reading this) include a nap for sure!  We have a basketball game to go to for my youngest and laundry to be done as always.  Other than that, I'm leaving everything off of my schedule so that I can just relax.  I'll probably try to spend as much time as possible curled up with my book because that sounds just about perfect!  In reality I will spend at least part of my day putting my house back in order.  It will be worth it though as I love to start the week with a clean (or semi-clean) house.  I'll be by to visit with all of you throughout the week!

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

A Map of the Dark by Karen Ellis (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"FBI Agent Elsa Myers finds missing people.
She knows how it feels to be lost...

Though her father lies dying in a hospital north of New York City, Elsa cannot refuse a call for help. A teenage girl has gone missing from Forest Hills, Queens, and during the critical first hours of the case, a series of false leads hides the fact that she did not go willingly.

With each passing hour, as the hunt for Ruby deepens into a search for a man who may have been killing for years, the case starts to get underneath Elsa's skin. Everything she has buried - her fraught relationship with her sister and niece, her self-destructive past, her mother's death - threatens to resurface, with devastating consequences.

In order to save the missing girl, she may have to lose herself...and return to the darkness she's been hiding from for years."

My Thoughts:

I absolutely love when I find a new mystery series to follow and enjoy!  I am such a sucker for a good mystery so as soon as I found about this book I just knew that I had to read it.  It was just as good as I had hoped it would be after reading that description.  One of the things that I just can never seem to get enough of are books where the main characters have dark pasts that they need to overcome.  This book pulled me into it from the very beginning.  Elsa is joining in on the hunt for a missing girl while she is also trying to deal with the fact that her father is dying.  She is struggling with memories from her childhood alongside of all of this.  All of this was enough to really suck me into this story!  I just couldn't stop reading.  I found that Elsa had a few similarities to the main character in Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects in the way that she dealt with things that happened to her in her childhood (and whose name completely escapes me).  In both cases, it really set a darker tone to the books than I had previously expected.  I really enjoy darker mysteries so this was just one of the reasons why I enjoyed this book so much!  I also really enjoyed the way that this author ended this book even though I found that not all of it was a surprise to me.  There were things that I may have saw coming but it didn't matter because by then I was so invested on seeing how everything would turn out.  

Overall, I found this to be a thrilling mystery that I just didn't want to set down.  I sometimes feel like I read slower on my Kindle (not sure why or if that is really even true) but that certainly wasn't the case with this book.  I just didn't want to stop reading!  I liked that I was so pulled into the mystery portion of this book, but really it was the characters that I came to care about.  That's why I'm so excited that this is just the first book in a planned series because I loved the characters and want more!  I will certainly be waiting impatiently to get my hands on book two!  I'm really glad that I didn't wait too long to read this book because this is an author to watch in my opinion.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A solid beginning to this new series!  I need more!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.           

This book was published on January 2nd 2018 if you are interested!

The Sunday Post #40 (All The Holds)

"The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme"

Happy Sunday!  It's a gloomy, cold winter morning here but I've got coffee and the 5th Harry Potter movie on which makes everything better.  It was a busy past week as we all returned to our normal routines.  Now having a three day weekend makes it all seem just a little bit better after returning to our normal full schedule.  I'm working tomorrow but only for as many hours as I feel like.  I'm really pushing to get the overtime hours in when and where I can.  I kind of slid off the exercising bandwagon last week.  I ran once (last Sunday) and then that was it.  It goes to show me that I will really need to focus on running/working out on the nights where the kids don't have practices even if those are the nights I usually work late.  I'm going to try and hit my three workouts this week by really buckling down and getting them in when I can.  Hold me accountable!

In reading news, I managed to finish two more books this week which means the Bout of Books read-a-thon was a success.  I didn't participate too much social media wise but I did read, read, read!  I could get behind reading two books every week if I could keep this up.  I went to the library yesterday and brought home five new library books thanks to all of my holds coming in at once.  This added to an already towering stack of books that I already had checked out.  I'm swimming in all of the books right now which makes it so hard to choose what to read next!  It's not a bad thing so I'm not complaining - I just haven't yet decided which one to start reading first as my new print read.  Last week though I finished the following books:

A Map of the Dark by Karen Ellis begins a new mystery series and I really loved it!  This was my 3rd book for #COYERWinterSwitch and it was such a great read.  I'm super excited that it is the first in what is planned to be a series as I really can't wait to read more!  I'll be writing up my thoughts on this one hopefully for this week since it just released this month.

Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Cornwell is the 8th book in this series which is an absolute favorite of mine.  I pulled this book off of my own shelves and it was a great choice as always.  This wasn't my favorite book in the series (I would probably only rate it 4 stars instead of 5) but it was still a really great read.  This series really has become a treat for me to read though!  I will also work on writing up my thoughts on this one soon.

I'm now currently reading the following:

A Whisper of Bones is my current Kindle read and one that I'm about 30% into so far.  As usual I'm starting smack dab in the middle of a series (apparently this is book #25) but that hasn't bothered me in the slightest.  I'm actually really intrigued already and excited to continue reading it later this afternoon.  No print read yet as I'm just not sure which library book to read next but I'm sure I will figure it out soon.

New Additions:

I'm most excited for It All Falls Down by Sheena Kamal as this is the sequel to a book that I loved last year.  I just cannot wait to begin reading it although it doesn't release until July so I'll try to wait awhile before I begin.  That review copy is courtesy of Edelweiss and the rest are from NetGalley.  See why I need the #COYER reading challenges so much?!? 

Plans for today include a basketball game for the youngest and not much else.  The usual everyday Sunday things including laundry and reading.  I'm hoping to do a little meal prep for the week as I'm also trying to eat healthier.  I need to work on writing up reviews so that I'm not just writing posts on Sundays for the rest of the week.  It would be really nice to get ahead and maybe even have the entire month prepped ahead of time.  A girl can certainly dream!  I would also like to fit a run in if I have the chance later on.  I'm off to go clean the kitchen up so.....

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

The Body in the Casket by Katherine Hall Page (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"For most of her adult life, resourceful caterer Faith Fairchild has called the sleepy Massachusetts village of Aleford home. While the native New Yorker has come to know the region well, she isn’t familiar with Havencrest, a privileged enclave, until the owner of Rowan House, a secluded sprawling Arts & Crafts mansion, calls her about catering a weekend house party.

Producer/director of a string of hit musicals, Max Dane—a Broadway legend—is throwing a lavish party to celebrate his seventieth birthday. At the house as they discuss the event, Faith’s client makes a startling confession. “I didn’t hire you for your cooking skills, fine as they may be; but for your sleuthing ability. You see, one of the guests wants to kill me.”

Faith’s only clue is an ominous birthday gift the man received the week before—an empty casket sent anonymously containing a 20-year-old Playbill from Max’s last, and only failed, production—Heaven Or Hell. Consequently, Max has drawn his guest list for the party from the cast and crew. As the guests begin to arrive one by one, and an ice storm brews overhead, Faith must keep one eye on the menu and the other on her host to prevent his birthday bash from becoming his final curtain.

Full of delectable recipes, brooding atmosphere, and Faith’s signature biting wit, The Body in The Casket is a delightful thriller that echoes the beloved mysteries of Agatha Christie and classic films such as Murder by Death and Deathtrap."

My Thoughts:

This series is a favorite of mine even though I'm reading the books completely out of order at this point.  It's funny because I started with the first book like most readers would do and then jumped ahead to the 23rd book in the series.  Here I am now having finished the 24th book and even though I've read them out of order, this series has still become a personal favorite of mine.  What I love about these books is just the normal, every day feel to them (besides the fact that there is usually a murder or mystery involved).  I get so caught up with these characters and their lives - I find it just so fun to read about!  This book was different than the other two books that I've read in this series because a murder hasn't actually happened.  Instead Faith is asked to investigate and basically help prevent a murder from happening.  This book was really fun to read!  It had the feel of the game Clue - was it going to be Ms. Scarlett in the study with the candlestick?  I loved playing this game when I was younger so I was delighted that this book had that same kind of feel at times.  I do feel at times that I'm missing out a bit from not having read the previous books in this series.  The author throws out references here and there from those earlier books and it makes me want to have read them all.  It doesn't affect my enjoyment of the book overall, I just know that I'm missing things that I wouldn't if I had read those books as well.  It sure gives me a reason to work on catching up on this series in 2018!  

Overall, I found this book to be another enjoyable addition to this mystery series!  I really enjoyed the set up for this book and thought that it added a different level of tension compared to other more typical mysteries that I have read.  I will say that there were a lot of other different storylines with this book that at first I had a hard time following along with.  Halfway through though, I was fully invested in each and eager to see how everything was going to turn out.  I would be remiss if I also didn't mention how much I enjoy the references to Faith's cooking in these books.  Mysteries that include food seem to be a favorite of mine that I can't get enough of!  I wish that I was half as good of a cook as Faith is!  I can easily recommend both this series and this book though!  I don't plan on waiting too long before I move on to book two in this series!

Bottom Line:  A solid mystery that added to my love of this series!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss. 

#COYER Winter Switch (Reading Plans)

#COYER is here!  I need this in my life (and so does my kindle lol).  I feel like my stack of e-reads is always growing - my "pile" as you will is overflowing.  Time to make a dent and get some of these books read.  I really appreciate that it starts in December and then carries on to the new year.  This means that I can end my reading year strong and then begin 2018 this was as well!  I'm following the Basic COYER rules which are:
 
"This is good old strict COYER. The rules:

1. Every book you read must be an eBook or audiobook.
2. Every book must be either free or less than $5.
3. No library books, borrowed books, or Kindle Unlimited."

I've come up with a ridiculously large pool of possibilities to choose from.  I seriously could have kept going but I found a little self control in me and made a list of 24 to start with.  This isn't to say that I will only choose from these books, but I would like to think it will help me make my reading choices a bit easier having a pile to choose from.  It's a mixture of 2018 releases and older books as well that I've been wanting to read for some time now - all e-books in the hopes that my kindle unread pile will get just a tiny bit smaller.  Enough rambling though....here is my COYER reading pool:

Whew!  That's quite the pile!  And the funny thing is I came across at least twenty more books that could have easily been on this list as well.  My reading goal for this challenge is to read at least ten books for COYER this time around.  More would be great (obviously) but I would really like to hit my goal so I'm starting with ten.  I can bump it up if needed.  Ideally I will also write up reviews for all books read for this challenge as well.  Other than that, I just plan to read to my heart's content!

Happy Reading!