Vanessa’s Comments (group member since Jun 15, 2017)

Vanessa’s comments from the Read, Reading, Planning to Read and More group.

I've been listening to the Palace of Rogues series by Julie Anne Long. I received the novel "My Season of Scandal" as an ARC and liked it very much. I haven't read any on Long's books for some time so I decided to listen to the series. I also listened the latest book in the Miss Fortune series, "Swamp Spies".

Oh and as a weirdly cool part of my job, I worked in Tantor Media today. They do audible books, and someone was recording their own biography, not sure who, but cool anyway.

I finished "A Grave Robbery" A Veronica Speedwell Mystery Book 9.
This was an excellent novel in Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series. These are always interesting and slightly off-kilter. Veronica and Stoker have a great affinity and love for each other. It really comes across in the latest novel. I can't but have a feeling that this series is ending too.
On audio, I listened to the third and possibly final book in the Liz Danger series. Written by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer, this novel has Liz Danger, (yup her real name), returning to her hometown of Burney, Ohio, and fighting for the townspeople against big money, a biker gang, and an old flame who has delusions of grandeur with Liz by his side. With the majority of the bad guys gone, I think that this book is a wrap up of the main storyline.
These are great in audio the narrators do a great job, and the Crusie sarcasm shines through. I would give this series 4.5*'s.
I love when I can get a whole series on audio for just one credit. I'm currently listening to "Shadow Guild" The Rebel complete series by Linsey Hall. In this first book, The lead character Carrow has the ability to touch and read a person or item. A loner in the real world London, and accused of murder when her psychometry led her to a person's murder site, she stumbles into a paranormal world in parallel to present day London. Her only hope is to find the murderer and clear her name. This has great world building, believable characters and I am really looking forward to listening to them all. Also, the whole series, (5 books), is free on KU. I listened to a couple of book in a different series of hers, Charming Cove, and they are fun, and not too long.

The latest, (last?), book in Faith Hunter's Soulwood series, "Rift in the Soul" is out & I am savoring Nell's world.
I'm almost finished with "A Grave Robbery". I really like how the relationship between Stoker and Veronica has evolved. Jay Jay the newspaper woman, and Mornaday the police detective are both becoming increasingly vital to their investigations. These novels never cease to make the readers aware of obscure Victorian era practices and hobbies.

The latest Veronica Speedwell novel came out on audio this week, it's
"A Grave Robbery" by Deanna Raybourn. Raybourn is really a fantastic writer, I have enjoyed all of her series/novels. This is an excellent series on audio, the narration by Angele Masters is spot on, the characters are distinct, and I never hear a misspoke word, except of course the difference between American and British English.

I just listened to "Time Reaping in Deadwood". The story was ok, everytime she steps outside after a villan, she slips on the ice or some such thing. A ten minute dissertation on whether or not she wants to answer the phone gets tedious. For a smart character she gets into her own head too much and she's had a few books to embrace her monster slayer role. I like the characters and their family-like atmosphere but the internal debates are getting to be a lot of words to fill the book, and not actual content regarding the storyline.

I just finished "Dust Born Cambio Springs Book 4". I'm so happy that Elizabeth Hunter finally returned to this world and finished the series. She wrote in the after-notes that she might return with novellas or short stories. I'm happy for that, I like this desert world and it's crazy shifters.
Has anyone read her newest novel, Seba Segal series? Book 1 is "The Thirteenth Month".

Correction, the cruises in Europe that you have taken. :-)

Lisa, where are you going on that long plane ride?
A couple of friends and I are going on a Viking river cruise to Holland and Belgium next year, and I thought of you and your "girls" and the cruises to Europe that you have taken.

Molly Harper has a new series out that I am listening to. It's a series called Starfall Point. The series is about a trio of women who see ghosts and become a small coven on an island in Michigan. The first book is about Riley Denton-Everett who comes to Starfall Point to meet her aunt, her mother's sister who she did not know existed. Contacted after her mother's death, she thinks that she will meet her aunt, stay for a couple of weeks, and return to Florida. Things definitely don't go as planned. There is a love interest, Edison Held. and their romance is sweet. She meets other women and they find that they can all three see ghosts. It's a cute and fun series, and so far the first two books are out on audio. They are read by Amanda Ronconi and Teddy Hamilton.
I have been listening to a lot of books lately.
"Murder at the Merton Library"
Wrexford and Sloan Mystery book 7. These are an excellent Historical mystery series. Well plotted out storylines, great characters, the dialog is clever, just an overall fantastic read.
I read another historical written by Sarah Ferguson, yup THE SF! "Her Heart For A Compass". This was a story of a woman adamant that she didn't want a life that was predetermined for her by society. I liked the book and the main characters but I think it could have been a tad bit shorter. It was an interesting story that in part was a tad bit about her real relatives. I would give it a 4* rating.
I listened to a couple of Jennifer Crusie books. It's been a long time since I read anything by her. This is her Liz Danger series. "Lavender's Blue" and "Rest in Pink" are the first 2 books of this new series. Liz Danger returns to her hometown to supposedly see her mom for her birthday. Her aunt called her and implied that her mother was ill and that she needed to go home immediately. Liz is a ghost writer and left home as a teen and never returned. Relatives, murder, and small town hierarchy twist in a way only Crusie can toss out.
I also listened to the Improbable Meet Cute Collection that melindeeloo recommended.
On kindle, I've been reading Elizabeth Hunter's Dust Born.

Love Your Shelf... What books did you read? The links don't work on the app. All I see is blank spaces. Thanks!

Sorry for the typos. I'm hammering them out on my phone. The app still doesn't have a way to insert links, book covers, or spoilers for that matter.

I read the Jodi Taylor short, Christmas Pie, I love those Christmas "gifts" by Taylor. This was told by Markham. While these never fall into the main storyline as the series, they always have a little "golden nugget" inside. I love this series & have been listening to it for years.
I read another Christmas themed story. This is from Jennifer Ashley and is in her Kat Holloway Mystery series, it's "Mrs. Holloway's Christmas Pudding: A Below Stairs Mystery". Set in Victorian England, "Kat" Holloway is a young, intelligent cook who cares about members of her household and uses her deductive insight to solve murders and other mysteries. These are really well written historicals and I love them on audio.

As a side note, I nearly never listen to novellas, because they are a waste of audible credits. I make an exception when the book is only on audio, as some of Faith Hunter's have been.

I was also fortunate to get some really ARC'S.
"Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands" by Heather Fawcett, and "The Boy Who Cried Bear" Haven's Rock book 2. I love this series and i am confortable with the new location. I think that it was just what she needed to give a fresh feel to this storyline and generate new characters.
In this series (and location), couples and families are allowed to relocate to Haven's Rock. One such youngster, Max is on a supervised hike with a group of people and feels like he is being watched. Eventually he sees what looks like a bear walking on his hind legs with human looking eyes. He alerts the group and they head back informing Casey and Eric. They start a bear hunt but come up empty. Max then spots what he thinks is the "bearman" and tries to circle around to get a better look. He is grabbed and taken away. This novel starts to show us the personalities and evolving dynamics of this new location.
As usual Armstrong threw in a couple of wrenches into the storyline. If you don't want spoilers, I wouldn't look too deeply into people's reviews. Some people think that they're doing a book report and not a review, and blatantly print spoilers and never mark them as such.

In between ARC's and eecent releases, I have been listening to the witch series that Melindeeloo recommended the Wiseria Witches series by Angela Pepper. They're OK and the books about Zara make me feel like I'm listening to the witch version of "Gilmore Girls". Single mom, had her daughter at a young age, they bounce movie lines off of each other, daughter does good in school, etc. They're good to listen to and you don't have to get entangled in lots of serious drama.
I have a couple of months before my next ARC is due so I'm going to get caught up on a couple of series that I really enjoy.

I'm really loving Roman's story. His sarcasm is great.

I just stink at filling in the categories. I can't even keep up w/my Goodreads listings.

Merry Christmas Everyone!
LoveYourShelf... I got an ARC of the Emily Wilde book, and yes it's on NetGalley. I think the pub. date I'd 1/16/24.

I love Roman's character. It's wonderful to see a story with him in it. :-)

I have been listening to an interesting series by Evie Dunmore. It's the League of Extraordinary Women series. The main characters are all a part of the Women's Sufffrage movement in the 1880's England. It has many well written characters and thought out dialog. The first book "Bringing Down the Duke" is a complex story of a country Vicar's daughter Annabelle and a stoic Duke, Sebastian Devereaux. Annabelle has been the nanny and unpaid maid to her cousin's brood when she is admitted as one of the first women to Oxford University. Brilliant Annabelle has spent her lifetime helping her scholar father interpret ancient texts and her scholarship is contingent upon her joining the Suffragette movement. Their main goal, besides the obvious ability of women to vote, is to draw politicians to their appeal of the Women's property act. (Where women lose everything to their husband once they marry). This is an amazing debut novel. Some of the chapters tend to be a tad bit long and the decisions couldn't take any longer, but all in all they are a pretty good read. Dunmore's strong point is her ability to give her characters both logical, and witty banter.

I am currently listening to the third book in the series, "Portrait of a Scotsman".

On kindle I am reading the second book in Heather Fawcett's Emily Wildes series, " Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands". I find that this second book is a bit easier to read. There is no overload of background and info dumps, just story.

My heart goes out to families with dementia members. It's extremely hard to adjust to the person that they are compared to whom they were. Sending out good thoughts and prayers!

I just finished the Tony James Slater's novel, "Shave My Spider". This book takes Tony and his wife "Roo" through Vietnam, China, Mongolia, Laos, & Cambodia. Traveling with a low budget and a back packers lifestyle, they find themselves staying in hotels a bit removed from civilization much less the hospitality industry. Tony's ability to find adventures (read... disasters), makes for really funny stories. I adore their great rapport and support of each other. In times of both joy and panic his ability to portray the incidents and their feelings is outstanding. Guaranteed, travel with Tony is always an adventure.

Hi Everyone
First of all, Kristi that's great news about your hubby. That was Rob & I waving to you as we went down I-81 when we went to Georgia for Thanksgiving. LOL!

TINNGG, I hope that the family is feeling better by now.

Thanks Happy for recommending the Tony James Slater books. I have been listening to them in between other genres. These are hysterical in audio, I can't recommend them enough.

I have been reading a few ARC'S and listening to a sweet little paranormal series by Linsey Hall, The Charming Cove series. These can be read as stand-alone books but it is better to read in series, because the previous characters show up in subsequent books. Hall is different in her writing this series because the main characters are all "new" to Charming Cove, not side characters that we have already read about. The first book is "The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic". (Sorry the app doesn't have links). I like the author's writing so I'm going to listen to another of her series which is complete. "Shadow Guild" the complete series.