Two Bloggers One Series ~ Fatal First Edition (Library Lovers #14)

This is a series both Barb and I love so it was a no brainer to buddy read this one! Once you see what I have to say go on over and check out her thoughts at Booker T's Farm.

Briar Creek Library director Lindsey Norris and her husband, Sully, are at a popular library conference in Chicago to hear book restoration specialist Brooklyn Wainwright give a keynote address. After the lecture, Lindsey looks under her seat and finds a tote bag containing a first edition of Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train , inscribed to Alfred Hitchcock. Brooklyn determines the novel is one of a kind and quite valuable, so Lindsey and Sully return the book to the conference director, not wanting to stir up any trouble.

But just hours after the pair boards the train back to Connecticut, rumors that the Highsmith novel has gone missing buzz amongst the passengers, and they soon find the conference director murdered in his private compartment. And worse—the murderer planted the book in Lindsey and Sully’s room next door, making them prime suspects. Now, they must uncover the murderer and bring them to the end of their line, before they find themselves booked for a crime they didn’t commit.

I love this series and this one was no exception! This one had me a bit worried at times but I was pretty comfident that the author wouldn't let me down and she didn't. 

This one starts out away from Briar Creek as Lindsey and Sully are at an archival convention and it's here that Lindsey finds a rare book under her seat. This is what will start off everything.

Lindsey takes it to one of the people who were giving a presentation to make sure she wasn't mystaken about the rare item, then it gets handed over the the conference director and then Lindsey thinks all is well, but it isn't.

On the train ride home surrounded by a lot of archivist passengers including the conference director and some other characters who are not big fans of his. So when he ends up dead on the train, the train must stop in Briar Creek where there is a blizzard happeing.

Everyone from the train must stay at the Inn in town but Lindsey and Sully are okay to go home but Sully needs to check on his boat so he goes off that way and then Lindsey finds the book in her bag and this pretty much starts some interesting events that I can't say but I was shocked a few time. 

I don't think it was a very hard mystery to solve or at least to know who was behind things. I didn't know all the details but figuring out whodunit to me was a bit easy, but I still enjoyed the mystery because of some other things that was going on. 

One little fun detail in this book is that the author uses a character from someone elses cozy series and I thought that was fun. Jenn talks about this in the back of the book and how she is friends with Kate Carlisle and asked to use Brooklyn Wrainwright at the conference and because I had read one book from the Bibliophile mysteries I caught this and it was fun. :) 

I love all the charachers in this book and it was so fun being back with everyone and if you haven't tried this series you need too! :) 

5 stars

Week in Review #72

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.

How is it we are already headed into the last part of February! I don't know about your weather but mine here in Missouri is so strange. I am not complaining that it's 60 in February and that most nights are warm enough I don't have to build a fire, but I worry about how March might be or if this means Summer will be HOT, not just hot...lol. 

Still be watching old movies, especially ones with Humphrey Bogart in them. :) I am in a retro kick!

Have a great week and happy reading!

Books I have added

 Nothing!

Books read last week

• Rose - First book in the Seven Brides series and I really enjoyed it! Have a great time with my retro romances! :)

Currently reading

• Goblin Court - I didn't read much on this one this week, but will finish it up next week as I only have 56 pages left.
• Snow Angel - I just start this one and so far I am liking how it started so I have high hopes for it. :) On page 33 of 224.
• Fatal First Edition - I am really enjoying this one so far. I really want to get this one done soon,I need to know what has happened to a character!! I am 60% into the ebook. It's an eARC.

What might be up next

 Will probably start in on my March TBR if I finish these three before March starts. It's March Mystery Madness and I am a co-host on booktube and so lots of Mysteries of all kinds will be read...lol.

How was your week? What did you get?

Week in Review #71

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 spring yet? I am tired of this up and down weather. It was so nice and then book 3 inches of snow and then that melted in about one day because nice again and then boom cold again. :(

Not much happening here so have a great week and happy reading!

What you might have missed on my blog

Review of Beneath a Blood Red Moon

Books I have added

• Revved Up 4 Murder - Next book in a favorite series. Just look at that cute cover!!
• Murder by Lamplight - A historical mystery and I just couldn't help but grab it. :)
• It Watches in the Dark - Believe it or not this is a middle grade book! The cover is creepy so curious about the insides and it's Jeff Strand and I have liked some of his adult horror and think this might be his first MG horror.
• Trapped in Yosemite - Christian romantic suspense and I have been curious about this author, she also writes cozies and harlequin intrigue books. :)

Books read last week

• Seen and Not Heard - Even though this is a romance author I wouldn't classifiy this as a romantic suspense but just a suspense book. It's from 1988 and as a suspense it wasn't bad, that cover is so creepy!
• The Dragon's Cave - This is a harlequin romance from 1974 and though I am sure some will find it icky and problematic I liked it. :)

Currently reading

• Goblin Court - A 1976 harlequin romance and I am only a few chapters in but not real sure about this one yet. Reading the print book and on page 67 of 155 so hope to finish it soon.
• Home Song - This is my audiobook and this one is from 1994 and I love this author but not sure about this one as it's about a couple already married and dealing with the consquences of the husbands one night stand at his bachelor party 18 years ago when a teenage who looks just like him ends up at the school he the principal of. I don't normally care for this type of romance so hoping my favorite author can make me like it. On page 62 of 377.

What might be up next

• Snow Angel - Signet regency romance from 1991. I have tried this author before with a larger book and while I thought it was okay it wasn't a favorite so hoping I like this smaller one. Will read this one in print.
• Rose - First book in the Seven Brides series and from 1993 and I think the author took the old movie Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and turned it into a series featuring each lady and the guy she ends up with. I am excited to try this one!! I have the audiobook for it.

How was your week? What did you get?

Two Bloggers One Series ~ Beneath a Blood Red Moon by Shannon Drake

 So I am reading retro romances this month and talked Barb into reading one with me because it was about vampires...lol. After seeing what I thought hop on over to Booker T's Farm and see what Barb thought.

A tale that sweeps the reader from the antebellum South to contemporary New Orleans, the dark, sensuous world of love and immortality of the beauty and the beast whom some call vampire...

Maggie Montgomery, the owner of Magdalena's an elegant New Orleans boutique, gasped when she learned about the mysterious beheading of a local street person, and the trail of blood that led from the corpse to her building. Her shock turned to turmoil when she met Sean Canady, the police officer who arrived to question her...and inspired a dangerous desire.

Something powerful--and beyond reason--had brought Maggie and Sean together. Something that spoke of an interwoven past, and a passionate torment that began generations before under a blood red moon. For on that night of erotic seduction, Magdalena Montgomery became a vampire, and began a century-long quest to find the one man whose love was pure enough, strong enough to save her from the darkness within...

So in case you don't know Shannon Drake is Heather Graham and I just love Graham's books and I want to read them all (which will take years), so I knew I wanted to try some of her retro books this month and I am trying to get back into paranormal romances as I use to love them several years ago. 

At the beginning we find out how Maggie is turned into a vampire and then through out the book there are flashbacks to parts of her journey as a vampire so we can get a little information on how it is impacting the present day timeline. 

In New Orleans there have been some violent deaths and we have the cops Sean and his partner who aare investigating them and some blood drops that end up leading them to Maggie's shop. She is not sure what is going on but she is not involved in what has happened with those deaths. 

Sean doesn't really think that she has anything to do with them but he also thinks something is going on with her and he is also instantly attracted to Maggie which was a bit eyerolly at times, but I guess she is a vampire so she has that alurring attractiveness. 

Okay going to admit my recollection of this book is fuzzy, I need to review books as soon as I read them! 

At times the pacing was a bit slow but overall I really enjoyed this one, especially the ending. I know that I had fun with it and I am curious about the rest of the series.

4.5 stars (4 on Goodreads)

Week in Review #70

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.

So better late than never right! I would have put this up yesterday but I was doing a factory reset on my computer and it took longer than I thought and then I just forgot...lol.

The weather here is so strange, as a few days ago it was almost 70 degrees and now there is three inches of snow on the ground and cold! I knew February was looking to get to be true, I knew it would bit us at some point...lol.

Still watching a lot older romance movies on freevee, now kind of moved on to Film Nior, Humphrey Bogart type stuff. :)

Have a great week and happy reading!

Books I have added

 Nothing! :)

Books read last week

• Beware the Huntsman - One of my fun retro romances. This one is from 1975 and I enjoyed it.
• The Outlaw and the Lady - This one was pretty good too. I am really liking Lorraine Heath so far from the three books I have read of hers.
• This Matter of Marriage - The prize of the week! 5 stars I loved it!

Currently reading

• Seen and Not Heard - This one is different. It's a romantic suspese from 1988 and I am just not sure about it yet. It has a lot of characters and it's just strange.
• The Dragon's Cave - This one is from 1973 and it's an age gap romance that some might say ick too but I am enjoying it so far.
• Goblin Court - This one is from 1976 and the same author of Beware the Huntsman I read last week. So far I am enjoying this one too.

What might be up next

 More Retro romances. :)

How was your week? What did you get?

Week in Review #69

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.

Can you believe it's February all ready! It brought along with it some weirdly nice weather and I am so not complaining...lol. It's been in the 50s!

So for February you will see a lot of fun retro romances as I host on Youtube a Retro Romance Readathon. It's fun seeing what everyone is reading for it as I just love retro romances, especially historical romance! The only downfall is that most of them I can't get on audiobook or ebook so lots of eyeball reading as I have a giant collection of them that I need to work on reading. :) I have tubs and tubs of them and hopefully one day I will have some bookshelves in a room to put them out on...lol.

Reading the retros has me watching more retro romance movies on Freevee. It doesn't have to be romance on the movies so I watched Hard Evidence, Charade, The Inheritance, The Proposition and Jane Eyre. :)

Hope you all have had a great start to February! Have a great week and happy reading!

What you might have missed on my blog

Review of Haunted

Review of End of Watch

Books I have added

 Nothing! :)

Books read last week

• A Body on the Doorstop - One of the three books I was racing time in the last couple days of January to finish...lol. I enjoyed it overall but at the same time it wasn't the best start to a series. I did like the characters though so will try book two. This was an eARC.
• The Wandering Hour - Middle Grade Horror, but light on horror, felt more light sci-fi but I enjoyed it and will be curious about the next book in the series. This was an eARC.
• Haunted - In my quest to read anything Heather Graham, I had talked Barb into buddy reading this one and it's the first in a series so I am hoping book two is better as this wasn't a huge hit but mainly because of the male main character. This was a print book I own.
• Key to Deceit - I enjoyed the first book I read in January and so started this one at the end of Jan. and finished it up on February first. Love my historical mysteries and this was another hit. I listened to this one.
• Pecos Bill - Participating in a friends readathon called Folklore February so grabbed three graphic novels for it. These three are my favorite tall tales. I just love Pecos Bill and this was very short only 40 pages.
• Paul Bunyan - Another short one at 40 pages. Who doesn't like the giant of a man and his blue ox!
• John Henry - Again it was 40 pages. The man who was born with a hammer in his hand. :)
• Beneath a Blood Read Moon - This is Heather Graham but under a different name and the first in a paranormal vampire series and I really enjoyed this one!! It's part of my reading for the Retro Romance Readathon as it's from 1999. Reminding me of how much I use to love paranormal romances! I listened to this one and now I am on the hunt for this book in print with this cool retro cover! :)

Currently reading

• Beware the Huntsman - This is a book I own, isn't that just an awesome cover!! I love my retro romances...lol. I am really liking this one so far, I am almost finished. It's from 1975 and a Harlequin Romance.
• Satan's Angel - Another one of my retro romances I own. I just love retro covers! This is the very first Harlequin Historical and from 1988. It's a western romance and I am only one chapter into it so I don't have a clear opinion except I think the female is kind of dumb but hoping it was just the one situation...lol.
• The Outlaw and the Lady - This is a retro romance I have going on audiobook. It's from 2001 (can you believe I can count books up to 2004 as retro!). I liked some of her newer books I read last year so went hunting for an older one to try. I am about 50% into it and it's been interesting. The female main character is blind.
• Fatal First Edition - This is an eARC that I have and a buddy read with Barb. We both love this cozy mystery series. I just started so like about 4% into it and no opinion but I am sure it will be great! It's my break from the retros...lol.

What might be up next

 More retro romances! :)

How was your week? What did you get?

Two Bloggers One Series ~ End of Watch by Stephen King (Bill Hodges #3)

 We are finally finishing of the Bill Hodges series, I do know that Barb is enjoying this more than I am...lol. After you see what I have to say go on over to Booker T's Farm and see what Barb thought.

In Room 217 of the Lakes Region Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic, something has awakened. Something evil. Brady Hartsfield, perpetrator of the Mercedes Massacre, where eight people were killed and many more were badly injured, has been in the clinic for five years, in a vegetative state. According to his doctors, anything approaching a complete recovery is unlikely. But behind the drool and stare, Brady is awake, and in possession of deadly new powers that allow him to wreak unimaginable havoc without ever leaving his hospital room.

Retired police detective Bill Hodges, the unlikely hero of Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers, now runs an investigation agency with his partner, Holly Gibney—the woman who delivered the blow to Hartsfield’s head that put him on the brain injury ward. When Bill and Holly are called to a suicide scene with ties to the Mercedes Massacre, they find themselves pulled into their most dangerous case yet, one that will put their lives at risk, as well as those of Bill’s heroic young friend Jerome Robinson and his teenage sister, Barbara. Brady Hartsfield is back, and planning revenge not just on Hodges and his friends, but on an entire city.

In End of Watch, Stephen King brings the Hodges trilogy to a sublimely terrifying conclusion, combining the detective fiction of Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers with the heart-pounding, supernatural suspense that has been his bestselling trademark. The result is an unnerving look at human vulnerability and chilling suspense. No one does it better than King.

So feel like this trilogy comes full circle with this book and it involves the man they dubbed "Mr. Mercedes" and some then Bill and Holly as they are racing against time trying to stop some horrible things from happening. 

It's really hard to talk about this one without spoiling the other book in the trilogy so this will probably be short.  There is a thing with some weird experiments happening at a hospital and there is a game that is making people commit suicide which is why Bill and Holly are racing to figure out what is going on and how it's happening and how to stop the person.

I like the characters in this story, I just think that Stephen Kings writing is boring which is weird because as a teen I loved his books so much, which just shows you taste in reading happens. It does have a bit of a sad ending but I was prepared because I already knew what was going to happen to a character (read Outsider which Barb and I didn't know was part of the Holly books till after). I am curious to see how things progress with the spin off books I haven't read. 

3.25 stars (3 on Goodreads)