Last Books of September
I meant to have this up earlier this week, but I had a massive migraine, and then for the next few days after I always feel like my brain is trying to think through a fog. Finally, I was able to collect my thoughts and have enough time to sit down and write this. This week was not stellar, but it did get better over the weekend. I don't know if I have ever said on here, but I love birds, in fact, I used to have several finches they lived long lives but over the years they have died and I didn't replace them. But this weekend I decided I wanted another bird and went looking for finches because I love them and I still have a cage that is perfect for a couple of finches. So, I went to local bird store. Here's the thing right next to the finches were some canaries. I have always loved canaries. I love the way they sing, and they are so pretty. In fact, this store had not only the classic yellow canaries, but they also had bright orange ones. I'm pretty sure you can guess where this is going. Here is the newest member of our family:
This picture really doesn't do them justice they are such a bright pretty orange color. The cage I had was set up for finches, so I had to change some things around and I had to read up on how to best take care of them. She is already making the most beautiful music. Now we just have to decide on a name. Current names we are bandying about: Poppy, Phoenix, Ginger, and Pepper.
Now on to the books. This week I read quite a few but these four are, Two Mysteries, One Fantasy, and One Romance.
Marple: Twelve New Mysteries by Agatha Christie & Various Authors
I have been looking forward to this book since they announced it earlier this year. I love Jane Marple she is such a great detective. I have always loved that she is an elderly lady who uses the fact that most people dismiss her in order to solve mysteries. Agatha Christie did such a great job in writing her and so when I heard they were having a bevy of authors write short stories about her I was over the moon. I have to say was I not disappointed. In fact, I greatly enjoyed myself. There are twelve stories overall and I loved the different interpretations the authors chose to take. I didn't dislike any of the stories, to be honest. However, I had some favorites: The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok, The Murdering Sort by Karen M. McManus, Miss Marple Christmas by Ruth Ware, The Second Murder at the Vicarage by Val McDermid, and The Mystery of the Acid Soil by Kate Mosse. I could see myself rereading this book in a few years' time and enjoying myself just as much.
If you are a fan of Agatha Christie and Miss Marple, I highly recommend it!
A Scone to Die For by H.Y. Hanna
When an American tourist is murdered with a scone in Gemma Rose’s quaint Oxfordshire tearoom, she suddenly finds herself apron-deep in a mystery involving long-buried secrets from Oxford’s past.
Armed with her insider knowledge of the University and with the help of four nosy old ladies from the village (not to mention a cheeky little tabby cat named Muesli), Gemma sets out to solve the mystery-all while dealing with her matchmaking mother and the return of her old college love, Devlin O’Connor, now a dashing CID detective...~Goodreads Description.
I for the most part enjoyed this cozy mystery. I like Gemma and loved seeing her fulfill her dream of running a tearoom. The side characters were interesting, and the mystery was intriguing. Overall, I enjoyed myself although I have to say the reveal of whodunnit kind of bummed me out and left me feeling sad at the end. I will probably continue.
The Bloodbound by Erin Lindsey
A cunning and impetuous scout, Alix only wishes to serve quietly on the edges of the action. But when the king is betrayed by his own brother and left to die at the hands of attacking Oridian forces, she winds up single-handedly saving her sovereign.
Suddenly, she is head of the king’s personal guard, an honor made all the more dubious by the king’s exile from his own court. Surrounded by enemies, Alix must help him reclaim his crown, all the while attempting to repel the relentless tide of invaders led by the Priest, most feared of Oridia’s lords.
But while Alix’s king commands her duty, both he and a fellow scout lay claim to her heart. And when the time comes, she may need to choose between the two men who need her most…~Goodreads Description
(spoilers & rant ahead) I truly wanted to like this one more than I did. Mainly because I love Erin Lindsey's Rose Gallagher historical mystery series. Unfortunately, I did not care for this book. First, let me talk about the things I liked. I liked both main characters, Alix and Erik. Alix is awesome as a knight and bodyguard to the king. Erik is a good king on his way to being a great one. Now what I didn't like. I honestly think that your enjoyment of this story will depend on whether or not you liked the way the author wrote and handled the love triangle, between Alix, Erik, and Liam as so much of the story focuses on that. I did not so my enjoyment was severely diminished.
Here's the thing when the story opens, we meet Alix and Liam who have been friends for a while. That's part of the problem, pretty much all of Alix and Liam's relationship happens before the story starts and we only get a few snippets here and there. Then the two of them get separated for large chunks of the book when Alix becomes King Erik's bodyguard. Instead, most of the book is filled with interactions between Erik and Alix. Plus, the only two POVs we get are Alix and Erik, so we get to see how they feel about each other and how that grows, the author did a good job getting us invested in them. 80% of the book is a campaign for Alix and Erik to get together and the other 20% is for Liam and Alix. To balance this out, the author really should have given us Liam's pov as well because in the end I honestly didn't care about him as a character or a love interest. I didn't hate him, but the author really didn't do him any favors. Why give us so much Alix and Erik if you were going to choose Liam in the end? It was a weird choice writing-wise. Overall, I was disappointed, and I don't think I will be continuing in the series.
Highland Chieftain by Hannah Howell
I used to read romances like Highland Chieftain a lot when I was younger. I don't read them as much anymore but every once in a while, I get in the mood to revisit that genre. So, I went looking and stumbled upon Hannah Howell's Murray Family series and after reading a few descriptions picked this one. Now although it is the 21st in the series it seemed like it wouldn't be too big a deal to just jump right in and I was right. Although some of the side characters may have meant more to me if I had read them in the order I wasn't lost because I hadn't. The author did a good job of explaining who everyone was in relation to each other. Overall, I liked it. I don't think I enjoy this genre as much as I used to, but it was still interesting enough. The plot was A LOT. What I mean by that is that so much was happening all the time you didn't get a chance to be with any one situation long enough to feel the impact before you were off to another plot point. I liked the characters individually the most, the main two characters, Bethoc & Callum, as well as the many side characters. The found family aspect between all of them was great, found family is one of my favorite tropes so I was grooving on that part of it. And although I liked the romance between Callum and Bethoc it was for the most part just okay, to be honest. It was kind of like I was vaguely happy for them, but it didn't ever draw me in. Having said that I liked it enough that I would definitely read more in the series.
(Warnings for domestic violence, rape, and talks of past child sexual abuse)
I also signed up for another book challenge over at Lost Challenges comm on Goodreads because it looked like so much fun. It is called the Extreme Jellybean challenge and basically you have to match the colors of Jellybeans with the covers of the books while also using their letters. They explain it much better here!
Reading Challenge 2022:
TBR: Marple
Cloak & Dagger Challenge: Marple, A Scone to Die For
The 50 States Challenge: Relatively Dead
The Jellybean Challenge: Highland Chieftain, The Bloodbound, Marple, A Scone to Die For
How was your week? Anything exciting happen?
This picture really doesn't do them justice they are such a bright pretty orange color. The cage I had was set up for finches, so I had to change some things around and I had to read up on how to best take care of them. She is already making the most beautiful music. Now we just have to decide on a name. Current names we are bandying about: Poppy, Phoenix, Ginger, and Pepper.
Now on to the books. This week I read quite a few but these four are, Two Mysteries, One Fantasy, and One Romance.
Marple: Twelve New Mysteries by Agatha Christie & Various Authors
I have been looking forward to this book since they announced it earlier this year. I love Jane Marple she is such a great detective. I have always loved that she is an elderly lady who uses the fact that most people dismiss her in order to solve mysteries. Agatha Christie did such a great job in writing her and so when I heard they were having a bevy of authors write short stories about her I was over the moon. I have to say was I not disappointed. In fact, I greatly enjoyed myself. There are twelve stories overall and I loved the different interpretations the authors chose to take. I didn't dislike any of the stories, to be honest. However, I had some favorites: The Jade Empress by Jean Kwok, The Murdering Sort by Karen M. McManus, Miss Marple Christmas by Ruth Ware, The Second Murder at the Vicarage by Val McDermid, and The Mystery of the Acid Soil by Kate Mosse. I could see myself rereading this book in a few years' time and enjoying myself just as much.
If you are a fan of Agatha Christie and Miss Marple, I highly recommend it!
A Scone to Die For by H.Y. Hanna
When an American tourist is murdered with a scone in Gemma Rose’s quaint Oxfordshire tearoom, she suddenly finds herself apron-deep in a mystery involving long-buried secrets from Oxford’s past.
Armed with her insider knowledge of the University and with the help of four nosy old ladies from the village (not to mention a cheeky little tabby cat named Muesli), Gemma sets out to solve the mystery-all while dealing with her matchmaking mother and the return of her old college love, Devlin O’Connor, now a dashing CID detective...~Goodreads Description.
I for the most part enjoyed this cozy mystery. I like Gemma and loved seeing her fulfill her dream of running a tearoom. The side characters were interesting, and the mystery was intriguing. Overall, I enjoyed myself although I have to say the reveal of whodunnit kind of bummed me out and left me feeling sad at the end. I will probably continue.
The Bloodbound by Erin Lindsey
A cunning and impetuous scout, Alix only wishes to serve quietly on the edges of the action. But when the king is betrayed by his own brother and left to die at the hands of attacking Oridian forces, she winds up single-handedly saving her sovereign.
Suddenly, she is head of the king’s personal guard, an honor made all the more dubious by the king’s exile from his own court. Surrounded by enemies, Alix must help him reclaim his crown, all the while attempting to repel the relentless tide of invaders led by the Priest, most feared of Oridia’s lords.
But while Alix’s king commands her duty, both he and a fellow scout lay claim to her heart. And when the time comes, she may need to choose between the two men who need her most…~Goodreads Description
(spoilers & rant ahead) I truly wanted to like this one more than I did. Mainly because I love Erin Lindsey's Rose Gallagher historical mystery series. Unfortunately, I did not care for this book. First, let me talk about the things I liked. I liked both main characters, Alix and Erik. Alix is awesome as a knight and bodyguard to the king. Erik is a good king on his way to being a great one. Now what I didn't like. I honestly think that your enjoyment of this story will depend on whether or not you liked the way the author wrote and handled the love triangle, between Alix, Erik, and Liam as so much of the story focuses on that. I did not so my enjoyment was severely diminished.
Here's the thing when the story opens, we meet Alix and Liam who have been friends for a while. That's part of the problem, pretty much all of Alix and Liam's relationship happens before the story starts and we only get a few snippets here and there. Then the two of them get separated for large chunks of the book when Alix becomes King Erik's bodyguard. Instead, most of the book is filled with interactions between Erik and Alix. Plus, the only two POVs we get are Alix and Erik, so we get to see how they feel about each other and how that grows, the author did a good job getting us invested in them. 80% of the book is a campaign for Alix and Erik to get together and the other 20% is for Liam and Alix. To balance this out, the author really should have given us Liam's pov as well because in the end I honestly didn't care about him as a character or a love interest. I didn't hate him, but the author really didn't do him any favors. Why give us so much Alix and Erik if you were going to choose Liam in the end? It was a weird choice writing-wise. Overall, I was disappointed, and I don't think I will be continuing in the series.
Highland Chieftain by Hannah Howell
I used to read romances like Highland Chieftain a lot when I was younger. I don't read them as much anymore but every once in a while, I get in the mood to revisit that genre. So, I went looking and stumbled upon Hannah Howell's Murray Family series and after reading a few descriptions picked this one. Now although it is the 21st in the series it seemed like it wouldn't be too big a deal to just jump right in and I was right. Although some of the side characters may have meant more to me if I had read them in the order I wasn't lost because I hadn't. The author did a good job of explaining who everyone was in relation to each other. Overall, I liked it. I don't think I enjoy this genre as much as I used to, but it was still interesting enough. The plot was A LOT. What I mean by that is that so much was happening all the time you didn't get a chance to be with any one situation long enough to feel the impact before you were off to another plot point. I liked the characters individually the most, the main two characters, Bethoc & Callum, as well as the many side characters. The found family aspect between all of them was great, found family is one of my favorite tropes so I was grooving on that part of it. And although I liked the romance between Callum and Bethoc it was for the most part just okay, to be honest. It was kind of like I was vaguely happy for them, but it didn't ever draw me in. Having said that I liked it enough that I would definitely read more in the series.
(Warnings for domestic violence, rape, and talks of past child sexual abuse)
I also signed up for another book challenge over at Lost Challenges comm on Goodreads because it looked like so much fun. It is called the Extreme Jellybean challenge and basically you have to match the colors of Jellybeans with the covers of the books while also using their letters. They explain it much better here!
Reading Challenge 2022:
TBR: Marple
Cloak & Dagger Challenge: Marple, A Scone to Die For
The 50 States Challenge: Relatively Dead
The Jellybean Challenge: Highland Chieftain, The Bloodbound, Marple, A Scone to Die For
How was your week? Anything exciting happen?