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Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust
Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust
Mindy Quigley | 2023 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mystery Didn’t Quite Work for Me
Summer is winding down soon, which means that the crowds will be disappearing from Geneva Bay, Wisconsin. Unfortunately for Delilah O’Leary, she hasn’t earned quite as much as she needs during her deep dish pizza restaurant’s first season opened to survive the coming winter season comfortably. Which means she needs to win the upcoming “Taste of Wisconsin” contest held during the annual Labor Day festival. She’s been trying to prefect her recipe for weeks. However, she is less than thrilled when she learns who the judge is going to be.

All that takes a back seat when someone drops dead in the new juice bar in town. Delilah happens to be on hand, and she can’t help but get involved in the investigation. But can she figure out what happened?

I enjoyed the first book in the series, and was looking forward to returning to the great characters and setting. Unfortunately, the plot tries to do too much. Early on, I was enjoying trying to figure out what was part of the mystery and what was part of any subplots, but when we reached the climax, things were just too rushed because of everything else going on. In fact, it felt like the mystery was undercooked overall, and I was left with a major question about why a character did what they did. Which is a shame because the characters and setting were great once again. I love Delilah and the rest of the crew, and I’d love to visit the town. There are some fun laughs, including in the recipes. Seriously, they are written by some of the characters, and they are great. I already have book three, so hopefully, the plot is stronger in that one.
  
From The Ashes (Redwood Bay Fire #2)
From The Ashes (Redwood Bay Fire #2)
HJ Welch | 2025 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Bloody Loved it!
I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 2 in the Redwood Bay Fire series, and while it's not really neceassary to read book 1, Igniting His Flame, I think you should. If only cos I said so!

Colton left Zahir after they finished high school and they haven't seen each other in 15 years. But one meeting, and Colton knows he never stopped loving Zahir. Zahir isn't sure he can survive Colton leaving again, and Zahir will not go back into the closet. Can they work it out?

I've had a run of these fairly low angst books and I am LOVING them all!

What I especially loved about this one, was the fact that neither Colt or Zahir had really moved on. Oh they'd had other partners, but nothing lasting, just flings and one nights. But meeting each other again, it all comes back and they both realise that they really could never move on.

I loved that they actually talked it out. Once they had done that, they went all in. I loved how Colt stands up to his mum and dad, that really did make me laugh! Portia was amazing, given what she had been dragged into, and I think she flies the rainbow flag too!

It's not ever so steamy, but it's hawt, if that makes sense. Emotional, very, but the angst level is low and I loved that it was.

Loved that Lochlan and Dario pop up. I love this One: Thirteen family!

This is, I believe, Ms Welch's first foray into the world of second chance, and by Jove I think she got it! Keep these guys coming, please, I need more of them in my life!

5 full and shiny stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Kari's Kismet (Divergent Omegaverse #6)
Kari's Kismet (Divergent Omegaverse #6)
JP Sayle | 2026 | LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Bowie and Kari are perfect for each other!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 6 in the Divergent Omegaverse series, and I recommend you read them in order. While the books themselves are overlapping in the timeline, some things happen in previous books that are mentioned here, and talked about but not fully recapped and you really do need to know about the visit to the ranch, and what happened at the factory.

There have been hints about Kari and Bowie in previous books and I really enjoyed their book. Not loved though, and I can't figure out why!

Kari is a born Starling, twin to Kodi. He's the calmer of the two.

Kari watches Bowie, like a hawk, so he notices when something isn't right, his wolf knows something is very wrong. Once Kari finds Bowie, his Daddy side kicks in. And that Daddy side is so powerful, and sweet, and loving and neither of them saw this coming, so it was cute as well.

Bowie had a difficult upbringing, and it spills over into his adult life. The prologue made me cry! But once Bowie finds his feet, as it were, with his Daddy, and once they get smexy? Oh my days, that boy is fierce!

Some darker things happen, but I'm not spoiling it for you.

I'm looking forward to Kodi's book, and there is also Jupiter and Laken still to fall. I do enjoy the snippets of text messages, between the PA's and the Starling brothers. And the little bits we get of Lane and Derick (Popi and Dad!)

It's a fairly easy read, and I can't figure out why I didn't love it! Sorry!

4 very, very good stars

*Same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
The Twyford Code
The Twyford Code
Janice Hallett | 2022 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wow, this book was a rollercoaster! I would like to read it again in physical form as I think some of it didn’t translate too well to ebook form, but nevertheless, I still enjoyed it and didn’t want to put it down some nights!
I haven’t read Janice Hallett’s other book The Appeal, but it has been on my wishlist for a little while now. I imagine that it is just as good as this one and it has firmly moved into my “need a copy asap” pile!
This book is written in transcript from audio files, and some of the fun of the book is trying to work out what it has mistaken some words for in the transcription. Also trying to follow the story is interesting, and although it jumps between timelines it is very much like speaking to someone when they go off on a tangent and then come back again. I think this is what makes it so believable.
There are quite a few twists that you come upon that completely shocked me, as I didn’t see them coming at all but it also explains quite a lot at the same time. I have to admit, the guesses that I made throughout this book were not at all what happened, and although I knew that parts of it were important or part of a code, I still couldn’t work out what was happening.
This book is a very clever book, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a mystery and wants to guess their way through the book. I think I might have to go and get myself a copy so I can read it again in all it’s glory! Thank you to Pigeonhole and Janice Hallett for allowing me to read this wonderful book.