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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated Between a Flock and a Hard Place in Books
Aug 27, 2024 (Updated Aug 27, 2024)
Meg’s Latest Case is Not a Turkey
The new home renovation TV show Marvelous Mansions has come to town and made a less than stellar impression. Meg, in her job as special envoy to the mayor, is on her way to try to keep everyone happy when she discovers the neighborhood has a new problem – feral turkeys. Naturally, Meg gets involved in trying to round them up, while Chief Burke works on trying to figure out who put them there. Then Meg stumbles on a dead body. Are the two events connected?
Those familiar with the series will be delighted with the latest entry. Yes, the antics with the turkey keep the mystery in the background for a while, but I was having so much fun I didn’t much care. It helped that I was laughing at what was happening. When Meg finds the body, the mystery does pick up and lead us through some great twists to a logical climax. The characters are their normal charming selves, and the new characters fit right into the series. If you haven’t met the characters yet, these books standalone well enough that you can jump in here. And if you are a longtime fan, you’ll be happy with the latest release.
Those familiar with the series will be delighted with the latest entry. Yes, the antics with the turkey keep the mystery in the background for a while, but I was having so much fun I didn’t much care. It helped that I was laughing at what was happening. When Meg finds the body, the mystery does pick up and lead us through some great twists to a logical climax. The characters are their normal charming selves, and the new characters fit right into the series. If you haven’t met the characters yet, these books standalone well enough that you can jump in here. And if you are a longtime fan, you’ll be happy with the latest release.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated A Killing in Costumes in Books
May 9, 2025
Memorabilia to Die For
Jay and Cindy were on their way to a successful career in Hollywood until their marriage ended when they both realized they were gay. Now, a couple of decades later, they are opening a Hollywood memorabilia shop in Palm Springs. Things are off to a slow start until aging actress Yana Tosh contacts them about selling her collection of Hollywood costumes. She’s talking to a larger auction house as well, and when Cindy and Jay’s competition dies, they quickly find themselves suspects. Can they clear their names?
This book has been on my radar for a while, and I’m glad I finally picked it up. The writing did make it hard to get into the story originally, but soon I was hooked on the mystery. There were several good twists and surprises on the way to the logical climax. Jay and Cindy share lead character duties, and they lead a cast of characters I enjoyed getting to know. And I smiled at the many references to classic movies, tv shows, and stars of the screen. We also get talk about classic musicians. At this point, this is looking like a standalone novel, but if a sequel does pop up, I’d be happy to visit Cindy and Jay again.
This book has been on my radar for a while, and I’m glad I finally picked it up. The writing did make it hard to get into the story originally, but soon I was hooked on the mystery. There were several good twists and surprises on the way to the logical climax. Jay and Cindy share lead character duties, and they lead a cast of characters I enjoyed getting to know. And I smiled at the many references to classic movies, tv shows, and stars of the screen. We also get talk about classic musicians. At this point, this is looking like a standalone novel, but if a sequel does pop up, I’d be happy to visit Cindy and Jay again.
Merissa (13358 KP) rated Twister in Books
Aug 4, 2025
TWISTER is a standalone novel in a wider selection of books set at the same time (ish) in the same town (ish). Daniel is looking after his daughter and his farm, while Marshall is trying to figure out what to do with his life. When a twister blows into town, all bets are off as they work together.
There are many parts of this story I loved - the meet-cute, Rose, Bucky, KAJIR!!!, Jackson - loved all of it. What I didn't get on so well with was the sheer speed of it. Also, there were a lot of hot topics covered, but none in-depth, again, because of the fast pacing.
This author is new to me, but I would definitely be happy to read more of her work. This had me laughing out loud at the over-the-top personalities, eyes leaking in the hospital, and the devastation at the farm, plus both during the wedding ceremony.
A fast-paced, fun read that I definitely recommend.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 4, 2025
There are many parts of this story I loved - the meet-cute, Rose, Bucky, KAJIR!!!, Jackson - loved all of it. What I didn't get on so well with was the sheer speed of it. Also, there were a lot of hot topics covered, but none in-depth, again, because of the fast pacing.
This author is new to me, but I would definitely be happy to read more of her work. This had me laughing out loud at the over-the-top personalities, eyes leaking in the hospital, and the devastation at the farm, plus both during the wedding ceremony.
A fast-paced, fun read that I definitely recommend.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 4, 2025
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated The Last Line in Books
Aug 16, 2025 (Updated Aug 16, 2025)
Murder in a Teacup…Live on Stage!
The latest production at the theater Ellie Marlow owns is Murder in a Teacup. Unfortunately, the lead is Reginald Thornton IV, who seems to be going out of his way to alienate everyone. His character is supposed to die as part of the play, but opening night, he really dies. While the state detectives are quick to judge it natural, something doesn’t sit right with Ellie. Can she figure out what happened?
I picked this book up expecting a cozy, but it quickly became evident this is a bit more of a traditional than a lighter cozy. As long as you know this going in, you should be fine. The mystery is good, and I was fooled until the end. Ellie has Tourette’s, something that overwhelms at times and proves to be a distraction. On the whole, I did love her character and the co-lead as well, as well as how their marriages were shown. The story is told from several points of view, but at times, we have some head hopping. This feels like a standalone instead of a series opener, but if we get a sequel, I’d be interested in revisiting the characters.
I picked this book up expecting a cozy, but it quickly became evident this is a bit more of a traditional than a lighter cozy. As long as you know this going in, you should be fine. The mystery is good, and I was fooled until the end. Ellie has Tourette’s, something that overwhelms at times and proves to be a distraction. On the whole, I did love her character and the co-lead as well, as well as how their marriages were shown. The story is told from several points of view, but at times, we have some head hopping. This feels like a standalone instead of a series opener, but if we get a sequel, I’d be interested in revisiting the characters.
Merissa (13358 KP) rated A Wolf's Love: A Paranormal Romance Short Read (Flame #5.1) in Books
Nov 20, 2017
A Wolf's Love: A Paranormal Romance Short Read (Flame #5.5) by Caris Roane
A Wolf's Love is a short story addition to the Flame series. Cole and Lauren were together, until Lauren did something that Cole couldn't accept, and he called it off. However, when a teenager is kidnapped, Cole is the one that Lauren turns to, even though he refuses to help (at first). What follows is the two of them putting another's needs before their own, and working together to save her.
As with all Caris Roane's books, this is very well-written. It may only be a short story, but a full story is here. Nothing has been skimped on, instead you can settle in for a very good read. Personally, I would recommend that you start at book one, just to get the full enjoyment of the world of the Flame, but it isn't fully necessary. You 'could' read them in any order and as a standalone, but I do feel that you would miss something out of this well-developed world. With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, I can highly recommend this short story.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
As with all Caris Roane's books, this is very well-written. It may only be a short story, but a full story is here. Nothing has been skimped on, instead you can settle in for a very good read. Personally, I would recommend that you start at book one, just to get the full enjoyment of the world of the Flame, but it isn't fully necessary. You 'could' read them in any order and as a standalone, but I do feel that you would miss something out of this well-developed world. With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, I can highly recommend this short story.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Merissa (13358 KP) rated Riptide (Boys of Summer) in Books
Jun 18, 2019
Riptide (Boys of Summer) by Jordan Ford
Jace - or Bass as he is known throughout most of this book - is a thrill-seeker. He is the ultimate paradox - a bad boy who doesn't actually try to be bad, and has a heart. He makes stupid decisions based on hurt feelings. His story is completely understandable and heartbreaking with how he feels. Ms. Ford has done a magnificent job of bringing him to life, to make his quandary completely relate-able.
And that's the thing with this book. As a reader, I got it. I could see where Bass was coming from, and why he behaved the way he did. Would I make the same decisions? No, but then I'm not a sixteen-year-old boy with the same experiences as him.
With no editing or grammatical errors that jolted me, I thoroughly enjoyed this novella, and can't wait to see what happens when he goes to Ryder Bay and meets up with SnapDragon.
As a standalone, this is a great read. As a prequel to the next Ryder Bay story, it's fantastic! Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
And that's the thing with this book. As a reader, I got it. I could see where Bass was coming from, and why he behaved the way he did. Would I make the same decisions? No, but then I'm not a sixteen-year-old boy with the same experiences as him.
With no editing or grammatical errors that jolted me, I thoroughly enjoyed this novella, and can't wait to see what happens when he goes to Ryder Bay and meets up with SnapDragon.
As a standalone, this is a great read. As a prequel to the next Ryder Bay story, it's fantastic! Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Merissa (13358 KP) rated To Covet The Fae in Books
Dec 17, 2018
To Covet The Fae is the first book in the spin off series, The Kincaid Wolves. As such, it involves characters and places that we have already met. Although you could read this as a standalone, to get the full benefit I would recommend reading the Deathless Night series first. Plus the fact, they are wonderful books so it will be no hardship, I assure you.
Heather is Grace's friend and has come with her from China to Seattle. However, there is more to her than meets the eye as Brock finds out when she is taken unwillingly to meet with "the Prince". Through certain machinations, Brock and Heather find themselves separated in a different dimension, with only the toss of a coin to guide them.
This is well-written, with no editing or grammatical errors. However, as the first of a series, even a spin-off, there is a lot of groundwork that has to be laid. Also, it helps to provide the build up to the future books. This looks like it is going to be a series just as hot as the Deathless Nights, and so I have no hesitation in recommending it!
* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Heather is Grace's friend and has come with her from China to Seattle. However, there is more to her than meets the eye as Brock finds out when she is taken unwillingly to meet with "the Prince". Through certain machinations, Brock and Heather find themselves separated in a different dimension, with only the toss of a coin to guide them.
This is well-written, with no editing or grammatical errors. However, as the first of a series, even a spin-off, there is a lot of groundwork that has to be laid. Also, it helps to provide the build up to the future books. This looks like it is going to be a series just as hot as the Deathless Nights, and so I have no hesitation in recommending it!
* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Merissa (13358 KP) rated Waiting for Ty (Lovers and Friends, #2) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
This is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone.
I enjoyed this story but will admit to liking Landon a bit more than Ty. That may be for a couple of reasons - there is a lot more depth and information about Landon than Ty for a start. The second thing is that I wished Ty had a bit more spine about him. I know the story was about will they/won't they and did give you quite clearly an idea of what each of them could lose as well as what they could gain by making their relationship public. However, Ty was one minute strong and in charge of the situation and in the next, to me, it seemed like he was a young schoolboy who had no idea of anything, let along a political reporter. We all have days like this but Ty seemed to have more than most.
Saying that, I really enjoyed this story. It was nice to read a story were waiting was involved (ok, so maybe not at the beginning!) and the consequences of this sort of decision were taken into account.
I am loving this series by Samantha Ann King, I now have all 3 and am waiting to see if there will be a fourth.
Definitely recommended to all M/M fans.
I enjoyed this story but will admit to liking Landon a bit more than Ty. That may be for a couple of reasons - there is a lot more depth and information about Landon than Ty for a start. The second thing is that I wished Ty had a bit more spine about him. I know the story was about will they/won't they and did give you quite clearly an idea of what each of them could lose as well as what they could gain by making their relationship public. However, Ty was one minute strong and in charge of the situation and in the next, to me, it seemed like he was a young schoolboy who had no idea of anything, let along a political reporter. We all have days like this but Ty seemed to have more than most.
Saying that, I really enjoyed this story. It was nice to read a story were waiting was involved (ok, so maybe not at the beginning!) and the consequences of this sort of decision were taken into account.
I am loving this series by Samantha Ann King, I now have all 3 and am waiting to see if there will be a fourth.
Definitely recommended to all M/M fans.
LL
Legacies, Logics, Logistics: Essays in the Anthropology of the Platform Economy
Book
Legacies, Logics, Logistics brings together a set of essays, written both before and after the...