Molly Harper is back with another charming southern based series full of wit, romance and enough crazy characters to keep readers laughing and begging for more. Welcome to the charming small town of Lake Sackett, Georgia!
Carl and Marianne were high school sweethearts, loving the way only teenagers can—with no thought to logic or pride, just a bone-headed, optimistic frenzy of unicorns and hormones. That was all they needed. Or so Carl thought.
Scared of being stuck in Lake Sackett, like so many of her friends—without a real shot at a future or achieving her own dreams—Marianne panicked and bolted to college after stomping Carl’s heart. But when she returns for the summer with her family after years away, she and Carl are drawn together like moths to a flame. As they rekindle their old romance and remember what it was like to be in love, they have to wonder: is this, finally, their real chance at happiness?
Everything a Harper fan could ever want in a short story--good structure, memorable characters, humor, romance, a bit of angst and a happy ending! The story's only downside is that is I was left wanting more. I love Carl and Marianne and wish they had gotten their own full length book rather than this little nibble. Audiobook fans will be pleased to know Amanda Ronconi is back for another fantastic performance!
Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars
(Publisher's Summary) -- Nestled on the shore of Lake Sackett, Georgia is the McCready Family Funeral Home and Bait Shop. (What, you have a problem with one-stop shopping?) Two McCready brothers started two separate businesses in the same building back in 1928, and now it’s become one big family affair. And true to form in small Southern towns, family business becomes everybody’s business.
Margot Cary has spent her life immersed in everything Lake Sackett is not. As an elite event planner, Margot’s rubbed elbows with the cream of Chicago society, and made elegance and glamour her business. She’s riding high until one event goes tragically, spectacularly wrong. Now she’s blackballed by the gala set and in dire need of a fresh start—and apparently the McCreadys are in need of an event planner with a tarnished reputation.
As Margot finds her footing in a town where everybody knows not only your name, but what you had for dinner last Saturday night and what you’ll wear to church on Sunday morning, she grudgingly has to admit that there are some things Lake Sackett does better than Chicago—including the dating prospects. Elementary school principal Kyle Archer is a fellow fish-out-of-water who volunteers to show Margot the picture-postcard side of Southern living. The two of them hit it off, but not everybody is happy to see an outsider snapping up one of the town's most eligible gentleman. Will Margot reel in her handsome fish, or will she have to release her latest catch?
(My Thoughts) -- Let me count the ways I loved this book!
1) Amanda Ronconi narrates the audiobook. She's perfect as usual.
2) The humor - no one writes charming, wacky characters and families quite like Harper.
3) The romance - the perfect blend of fun, angsty, a little sexual tension and a fairy tale ending.
4) The setting - what a great little fictional southern town full of great narrative potential!
I can't wait for the next book!!!!
Final rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Oberon is off to Portland to smell all the things with canine companions Orlaith and Starbuck, and, of course, his human, ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan. The first complication is an unmistakable sign of sinister agendas afoot: a squirrel atop the train. But an even more ominous situation is in store when the trio plus Atticus stumble across a murder upon arrival at the station.
They recognize Detective Gabriela Ibarra, who’s there to investigate. But they also recognize the body—or rather that the body is a doppelganger for Atticus himself. The police, hampered by human senses of smell and a decided lack of canine intuition, obviously can’t handle this alone. Not with Atticus likely in danger. Oberon knows it’s time to investigate once more-—for justice! For gravy! And possibly greasy tacos!
Together they navigate by nose through Portland to find a bear-shifter friend with intel, delicious clues at the victim’s home, and more squirrels. Always more squirrels!
This is another super fun novella meant to serve as a companion read to the Iron Druid Chronicles. Oberon remains one of my favorite supporting characters in any series I read. His narrative voice (as written by Hearne and literally voiced by Luke Daniels) is honest and hilarious--basically how I imagine Scooby Doo might be if he lived with a 2000 year old Druid rather than a stoner. What's better is Hearne's ability to give each canine their own distinctive personality. I always love Atticus too, but he really takes a back seat in these mysteries.
A superb, fun, novella perfect for a hilarious but well developed read. The audiobook is a real treat too!
Final rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Hercule Poirot #10
What more can a mystery addict desire than a much-loathed murder victim found aboard the luxurious Orient Express with multiple stab wounds, thirteen likely suspects, an incomparably brilliant detective in Hercule Poirot, and the most ingenious crime ever conceived?
This read satisfied part of my 2017 Reading Challenge and is our Third Monday Book Club selection for January 2018. I knew the basic premise of the story even though I'd never read the book or seen any of the film adaptations. Basic plot - there's a murder on the Orient Express with a limited number of suspects...so...whodunnit? Poirot is conveniently there to conduct an investigation!
Overall, it is a great basis for a mystery; however, I'm less of a fan of how antiquated and stereotypical Agatha Christie's novels feel in the year 2017. I dislike the biased and rather prejudice voice and characterization that occurs throughout this book and others I've read. For me, it dampers my ability to connect with the story. I am curious to finally watch the various film versions.
Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars
When monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane comes across the gruesome aftermath of a ritual murder in a London church, he enlists the help of magician-scribe Simon Archer and alchemist extraordinaire Kate Anstruther. Studying the macabre scene, they struggle to understand obscure clues in the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics carved into the victim’s heart—as well as bizarre mystical allusions to the romantic poetry of William Blake. One thing is clear: Some very potent black magic is at work.
But this human sacrifice is only the first in a series of ritualized slayings. Desperate to save lives while there is still time, Simon, Kate, and Malcolm—along with gadget geek Penny Carter and Charlotte, an adolescent werewolf—track down a necromancer who is reanimating the dead. As the team battles an unrelenting army of undead, a powerful Egyptian mummy, and serpentine demons, the necromancer proves elusive. And when the true purpose of the ritual is revealed, the gifted allies must confront a destructive force that is positively apocalyptic.
The series hits its stride with book 2--the characters have developed and are really beginning to function as a group and even like a family. There is romance and some good flirtation between Kate and Simon. I particularly was intrigued by Malcolm's struggle to accept those he would previously consider monsters. Altogether, this was a fun read that is just the kind of imaginative Victorian steampunk that I enjoy.
Final rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Crown & Key #3
Gaios, a deranged demigod, who is hell-bent on summoning the elemental forces of the earth to level London and bury Britain. The Crown and Key Society, a secret league consisting of a magician, an alchemist, and a monster-hunter, is the realm’s only hope—and to stop Gaios, they must gather their full strength and come together as a team, or the world will fall apart.
But Simon, the Crown and Key’s leader and the last living magician-scribe, has lost his powers. As Gaios searches for the Stone of Scone, which will give him destructive dominion over the land, monster-hunter Malcolm , alchemist extraordinaire Kate, gadget geek Penny, and Charlotte the werewolf scramble to reconnect Simon to his magic before the world as they know it is left forever in ruins.
This book is a page turner from beginning to end. Will Simon get his powers back? Will the Society save Britain? Will Kate discover a cure for her sister? So many questions! Luckily, they are all answered and then some :)
The only downside to this book is that it seems like the final one in the series! I wanted more--there are hints that the Society's mission will still continue but we'll have to wait and see if we ever get any of those stories in the future.
Final rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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