Week in Review #65 ~ Happy New Year!

The Week in Review is where I combine Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post and It's Monday! What are you reading?  If you have never joined in on these meme's you can check them out by clicking on the meme and it will take you to the host blog.

I can't believe that 2024 is upon us!! Where did 2023 go?! Hope every has had a great holiday season and hope your new year starts off great as well!

Have a great week and happy reading!

What you might have missed on my blog

2024 January Anticipated Reads 

Books I have added

 Nothing

Books read last week

• A Novel Disguise - This started out a bit slow but got a lot better and I enjoyed it. First book in the Lady Librarian series.
• I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died - This wasn't as good as the first one for me. I took way to long reading this and that is a bummer.
• Juniper's Christmas - This one was just okay. It was an interesting middle grade Christmas book but I think I was just in a blah mood when reading it which reflects my feelings for it.

Currently reading

I really didn't want to have to roll over books into the new year but my reading the last couple of weeks haven't been great so I guess I will be rolling these over.

• A Body on the Doorstep - This one is okay so far but only 14% into it so it has potential. :)
• The Seafarer's Secret - 32% into this one and I am enjoying it I just need to stick with it and finish it as I need to get it done soon.
• Second Duke's the Charm - I am only 4% into it but so far it's been kind of fun so I have high hopes for it!
• Mother-Daughter Murder Night - My only audiobook on this list and I am 49% into it and so far I am enjoying it.

What might be up next

 So many things I want to read!! Just don't know what I will pick.

How was your week? What did you get?

2024 January Anticipated Releases

It's time for a fun list of anticipated releases. I am going to try and do this every month. I don't normally get to my anticipated releases in the same month but I do hope to get to some of these as I am very curious about them. With the exception of two book I stuck with authors I know, so that my list wasn't extremely long because it could have been longer. :)

1. The Beast at Skull Rock by Matt McMann - This is the fourth book in a middle grade horror series that is a lot like Goosebumps. I have enjoyed the first three so looking forward to this new one.
2. Monsters Take Manhattan by Darran Aronofsky - I didn't even know this was going to be a series! I read Monster Club last year and just by chance came across this on Netgalley! It's about magic mermaid ink that brings drawings to life and I am curious what is going to happen in this one. 
3.  World Famous Nine by Ben Guterson - I enjoyed the Winterhouse series by this author and this one sounds like a lot of fun!
4. Holmes, Marple and Poe by James Patterson and Brian Sitts - The premise of this one intrigues me. I haven't read many Patterson books but this one just sounds interesting.
5. Body on the Doorstep and Body at the Seance by Marty Wingate - Since these both come out at the same time I went ahead and put them both on here. I really enjoy this authors cozy mysteries so curious about a historical mystery from her. 
6. Death at a Scottish Wedding by Lucy Connolly - Loved An American in Scotland so I was very much anticipating this one and I can say it was really good too as I already read the eARC but still wanted to mention it. :) 
7. The Sign of Four Spirits by Vicki Delany - This is a favorite series from this author so I am always excited for the new one! 
8. The Wharton Plot by Mariah Fredericks - I love a good historical mystery and it seems like more and more are involving real historical figures and this one is about Edith Wharton.
9. Oh Hoaxes and Homicides by Anastasia Hasting - I really enjoyed book one and I am hoping I will enjoy this one.
10. The Ascent by Adam Plantinga -  When a high security prison fails, a down-on-his luck cop and the governor’s daughter are going to have to team up if they’re going to escape as they must make it from the bottom floor to the roof! Never heard of this author but this just sounded like it could be very interesting!

 What are some books your anticipating in January?

Week in Review #64

The Week in Review is where I combine Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post and It's Monday! What are you reading?  If you have never joined in on these meme's you can check them out by clicking on the meme and it will take you to the host blog.

This week has gone by really fast and so has this year! I can't believe tomorrow is Christmas Day!

The weather has been great but next week it seems that winter might be settling in which I am not a fan of and I hope it goes by fast and spring arrives soon. :)

What you might have missed on my blog

Review of Snow Angel Cove

Waiting on Wed. ~ World Famous Nine

Books I have added

• Fatal First Edition - One of my favorite cozy mystery series so I was so excited to get approved for the latest one! :)

Books read last week

• Songs of Wine and Murder - The latest book in the Tourist Trap series. It's one of my favorite series and so I enjoyed it.
• Death at the Falls - The 7th book in the Gilded Age series and I enjoyed this one too.

Currently reading

• I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died - So I really wanted to have this one done but I was to busy with other things and so I am around 80% into this one and its okay but not as good as the first book in the series.
• Mister Lullaby - I didn't even read on this one.
• A Novel Disguise - I just started this audiobook.
• The Seafarer's Secret - I was really trying to get the other ebook done so didn't read on this one.
• Juniper's Christmas - I sort of forgot about this one and so I didn't read on it. Ooops.

What might be up next

 Just trying to finish what I can of what I am already reading...lol.

How was your week? What did you get?

Waiting on Wednesday ~ The World-Famous Nine by Ben Guterson

Waiting on Wednesday has been around for a while and I know that it was taken over by Wishful Endings and called Can't wait Wednesday so will link to her.

Zander Olinga’s grandmother is the owner of the fabled Number Nine Plaza, the spectacular nineteen-story skyscraper. The Nine, as it’s called, has everything imaginable, including a massive Ferris wheel on its rooftop, monorail tracks suspended from its ceiling, and twenty-five glass elevators. But there’s something evil looming in the shadows, and strange accidents start befalling the guests. When Zander and his friend Natasha come across a series of inscriptions hidden throughout the walls of The Nine, they discover that the clues will lead them to a magical object which protects the store’s very existence. With the future of The Nine on the line, the pair are determined to recover the mysterious object before the luxury plaza and its many guests are destroyed. 
 
Featuring an unforgettable setting and a larger-than-life cast of characters, here’s a spellbinding mystery involving puzzles, art, and high-stakes adventure.

I enjoyed The Winterhouse Trilogy by this author and this one sounds like a lot of fun! It sort of gives me Mr. Lemoncello by Chris Grabenstein vibes which makes me really excited for this one and so I hope it's a good one! Comes out January 30th from Christy Ottaviano Books.

Two Bloggers One Series ~ Snow Angel Cove by RaeAnne Thayne

We started a new series! Though after reading this one I feel like we need to go back and read a different series first. My in order brain can't take it...lol.  After you see what I thought go and check out Barbs review at Booker T's Farm. 

Nothing short of a miracle can restore Eliza Hayward's Christmas cheer. The job she pinned her dreams on has gone up in smoke—literally—and now she's stuck in an unfamiliar, if breathtaking, small town. Precariously close to being destitute, Eliza needs a helping hand…for her sick young daughter's sake as well as her own. But she's not expecting her holiday hero to almost run her down with his car!

Rescuing Eliza is pure instinct for tech genius Aidan Caine. At first, putting the renovation of his lakeside guest lodge in Eliza's hands assuages his guilt—until he sees how quickly he could fall for her. Having focused solely on his business for years, he never knew that what his life was missing was Eliza and her little girl. But is he willing to risk hoping for a yuletide romance that could lead to forever?

Poor Eliza is not having a great day, she arrives to find out her job has literally gone up in smokes after moving her and her daughter. So now she is stuck in a small town with no job  and a sick daughter. Then add the fact that an out of control car hits her and she is just not having a fun time. 

Aidan Caine, tech genius, and man behind the wheel feels really bad for hitting her and after finding out about her lack of job, etc. He tells her that she can stay at Snow Angel Cove with him. It's a large place and he has a housekeeper and her husband there so it's not like she would just be with him. He decides to hire her to help him get ready for his large family that will be coming for the holidays. 

Aidan has been very career focused and never need to take it easy but he is carrying a bit of a secret which has led him to wanting his family to all show up. This causes a bit of tension with Eliza as she knows what it is but he won't let her tell his family. 

 He is not use to taking it slow but Eliza and her daughter are showing him what he is really missing by always being all about the job.  It's set at Christmas time and just has that fluffy wholesome feel to it that I have loved from this author.

I loved all the characters as I think that the side characters really made this one fun!

My only problem with this book was that Aidan kept mentioning his family from Hopes Crossing and I knew the author had a series call Hopes Crossing and so I felt like I was missing something, that I should already know his family and that just bugged my brain...lol. It might not bother other people but it does me, so told Barb we will have to go back to that series so my brain feels better...lol. :) 

4 stars

Week in Review #63

The Week in Review is where I combine Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post and It's Monday! What are you reading?  If you have never joined in on these meme's you can check them out by clicking on the meme and it will take you to the host blog.

Is it just me or is this month going by very quickly!? I swear this week just flew by and I can't think of anything that happened worth mentioning.

For the most part I have enjoyed the December weather as it hasn't been as cold as it could be. I am sure my 60 degree weather will not last...lol.

I have watched my fair share of Christmas movies and I am about Christmased out. I am more of a grinch and can't wait for Jan. 1st. I do think my favorite movie is Mrs. Santa Claus from 1996 with Angela Lansbury, it's a musical...lol. I ran across it on Frindly. :)

Have a great week and happy reading!

Books I have added

• The Poison Pen - The latest book in the Scottish Bookshop series and one of my favorites so I can't wait to read this one!
• A Body on the Doorstep and A Body at the Seance - Book one and two in a new series by an author I enjoy so I have high hopes for this historical mystery series. :)

Books read last week

• 8 Sandpiper Way - I have been meaning to read more on the Cedar Cove series so Debbie December have me the perfect opportunity. (Audio)
• Rainy Day Kisses - This is one of Debbie's Categories from the 90s and it was much better than the other one I read early this month...lol. (Audio)
• Snow Angel Cove - First in the Haven Point series and set at Christmas. It was cute. (Audio)
• Resting Scrooge Face - This was an 80 page novella that I listened too and it was super cute! 
• Last Exit to Feral - A Fun middle grade graphic novel. 
• Best Nerds Forever - This was fun though I am not sure how I feel about the ending. (Audio)

DNFED

• The Kingdom of Sweets - It's a nutcracker retelling and I really tried but I just don't care. I got to about 33% and was bored. 

Currently reading

• I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died - I am enjoying it but since it's an ebook it's just taking me a bit longer as I have been doing a lot of things on the computer and listening is easier. 40% into it.
• Mister Lullaby - I think I am about half way through this one, it's a horror book and it's okay.
• Songs of Wine and Murder - The latest in one of my favorite series A Tourist Trap and should be finished by tomorrow. (Audio)
• The Seafarer's Secret - A mystery I got for review from Book Sirens and need to finish it before January so hopefully that happens. I am enjoying it but it's another ebook. 17% into it.
• Juniper's Christmas - A middle grade book and I am not to far into it so not sure really what it's about. (Audio)

What might be up next

How was your week? What did you get?

Week in Review #62

The Week in Review is where I combine Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post and It's Monday! What are you reading?  If you have never joined in on these meme's you can check them out by clicking on the meme and it will take you to the host blog.

Reading wise December is off to a slow start. I didn't post last week and between last week and this one I still didn't read much but that is okay. I am doing a lot of other things and I have read a lot this year.

The weather has been really nice for December which I am enjoying. We had a few days in the 60s! I can handle this kind of winter type weather but I am sure it won't last.

Have a great week and happy reading!

Books I have added

• Extinction - I have enjoyed the Pendergast series that this author cowrites with Lincoln Child and this one sounded interesting. :) Comes out in April.
• The Botanist Guide to Society and Secrets - I have enjoyed the first two books in this series so I am excited about this new one. Comes out in June.
• Her Silent Bones - New series! Yes I am a sucker for a new mystery series...lol. Comes out in January.
• The Witless Protection Program - This is a series that has grown on my the more books I read and so I am curious about this one. Comes out in March.

Books read last week

• Trading Christmas - I enjoyed this one though it was a bit different from the movie version that I also like.
• Dashing Through the Snow - This one was also a little different from the movie version and enjoyable.
• Starlight - This was Debbie Macomber's very first book and it wasn't very good...lol.
• The Christmas Appeal - This was a novella set in the setting of The Appeal and not as good as The Appeal but not bad.

Currently reading

• Snow Angel Cove - I am enjoying this one but it's also bugging me because it keeps mentioning characters from Hopes Crossing making me think I need to read it first! UGH I hate that.
• 8 Sandpiper Way - You might have figured out that it's Debbie December with all these Debbie Macomber books...lol. I would like to finish this series up next year.
• The Kingdom of Sweets - A nutcracker retelling and slightly boring. I have finally made it to part two so I really hope it picks up before I end up dnfing it. To many other books.
• I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died - The second book in the Emily Dickinson mysteries and this series has the weirdest titles but they are actual poem titles of Emily's which makes think she was a bit strange tool. :)

What might be up next

 Not sure.

How was your week? What did you get?

Waiting on Wednesday ~ The Lace Widow

 

Waiting on Wednesday has been around for a while and I know that it was taken over by Wishful Endings and called Can't wait Wednesday so will link to her.

Could Alexander Hamilton be at the center of a vast murder plot engulfing Old New York? As his widow, Eliza, pieces together the puzzle, she unearths a heartbreaking secret that threatens to tear her family apart.

Perfect for fans of Sherry Thomas and Deanna Raybourn, taking us from the city’s gilded mansions to its meanest streets, Mollie Ann Cox’s debut historical mystery transports readers to center stage in a time of grave political danger.

New York, 1804. America’s beloved Alexander Hamilton lies dead after a duel with Aaron Burr. Meanwhile, Eliza Hamilton’s eighteen-year-old son, Alexander Jr., was seen fighting with a man in a tavern the night before his father’s duel and quickly comes under suspicion for murder when the man turns up dead.

Eliza searches for ways to clear her son’s name, even as she is grieving, but as she combs through her late husband’s papers, she finds evidence of a plot to steal money from the government during his tenure as secretary of state. Hamilton was accused of stealing that money, and it was a scandal that almost broke the family—but is Eliza now holding proof of Alexander’s innocence?

Deep in debt and despair, with eight children to support, Eliza turns to selling her handmade lace—and is drawn into a mysterious network of widow lacemakers who are intimately connected to New York’s high-society families. They know their dead husbands’ secrets—and soon, Eliza begins to piece together the truth.

There’s a dark plot connected with the duel, as one by one, witnesses to the bout are being killed. Now, Eliza must not only clear her husband’s and son’s names but keep herself out of the killer’s sights.

It seems to be a thing right now to use a person from history to be the sleuth or at least be a prominent person in the series. I don't mind and this sounds interesting. I love a good historical mystery. This comes out December 12th from Crooked Lane.