Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #227: Dead as a Doornail by Tonya Kappes

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Beauty is skin deep, but ugly goes clear to the bone. And doesn’t our Sheriff Kenni Lowry know that? Well, she knows a lot of things.

Lucy Lowell takes great pride in writing negative reviews in the local newspaper for anything that does not go her way. When Lucy is found dead, it appears to be from natural causes. 

But Sheriff Kenni Lowry knows there is more to it because the ghost of her grandfather, the ex-sheriff, is standing over the body. 

His presence can only mean one thing: Murder!

Since Kenni’s relationship with Deputy Finn Vincent has heated up, Kenni is having trouble conducting the investigation without Finn questioning her every move. 

Can Kenni unravel the mystery on her own or will she have to tell Finn the real reason she knows it was murder—the ghost of her poppa?

It’s blowin’ up a storm and only Kenni knows how it’ll end.

Dead as a Doornail by Tonya Kappes is the fifth Kenni Lowry mystery. It's due out May 5, 2018 from Henery Press.

Why am I waiting on this one? The Kenni Lowry mysteries are fun reads. There is some humor to them as well as a good mystery. And I'm wondering just how long Kenni can hide the presence of her grandfather's ghost from Finn. 

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Diamond Girl by Julie Mulhern

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

"You gotta believe me. I didn't steal anything from Mrs. Clayton."

I do believe him. But a jewel thief and missing pearls go together like chocolate and peanut butter. 

(19% through on my Kindle)

"Diamond Girl" by Julie Mulhern is a short story set in the same settings as her Country Club Murder mysteries. Her housekeeper Aggie is dating a man named Mac who owns a deli and caters. Mac is the one accused of being a jewel thief. Unfortunately, he did time in his youth for a jewelry heist.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Review: The Queen of Swords by R.S. Belcher

The book opens on Anne Bonny about to give birth. It's definitely an effective opening. Grabs your attention and keeps it from there. Chapters alternate between Anne and her many greats grandaughter Maude Stapleton. Anne's story takes place in 1721. Maude's takes place in 1870-1871.

Maude has left her home in Golgotha to pursue her father who has taken her daughter with him back east to Charleston. She is one of an elite group called the Daughters of Lilith. And she has been training her daughter Constance to follow in her footsteps.

A woman who is also a part of the group of the Daughters of Lilith is orchestrating a kidnapping of Constance because she believes that Constance must be sacrificed in order for the group to continue. Meanwhile, an opposing group called the Sons of Typhon also wants to kidnap Constance for their own purposes. So, when Maude arrives in Charleston she is destined to have her hands full. And that's without the subplot of trying to regain control of the estate she inherited from her Gran Bonny and recover legal custody of her daughter.

Searching for Constance will lead Maude afar. Anne's chapters are complementary and are about her own journey in Africa seeking enough treasure to retire from the pirate's life.

Maude and Anne are two of my favorite characters from the Golgotha series. I love how fiercely independent and capable they are. There are other well-drawn characters in the book including for example Alter Cline a reporter following Maude, and Maude's lady lawyer Arabella Mansfield.

The structure of the book works well to advance the plot. It's well-paced. I found myself flying through it wanting to know what would happen next.

Overall, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's very well written. You could read this without having read the first two books in the series, but you'd be missing some of the flavor. This book picks up soon after book two and refers to events in it. The author does do a good job of catching a reader up on what's been going on though. I find myself looking forward to further adventures in the world of Golgotha and wonder what will be next for these characters.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #226: Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Rose Marshall died in 1952 in Buckley Township, Michigan, run off the road by a man named Bobby Cross—a man who had sold his soul to live forever, and intended to use her death to pay the price of his immortality. Trouble was, he didn’t ask Rose what she thought of the idea.

It’s been more than sixty years since that night, and she’s still sixteen, and she’s still running.

They have names for her all over the country: the Girl in the Diner. The Phantom Prom Date. The Girl in the Green Silk Gown. Mostly she just goes by “Rose,” a hitchhiking ghost girl with her thumb out and her eyes fixed on the horizon, trying to outrace a man who never sleeps, never stops, and never gives up on the idea of claiming what’s his. She’s the angel of the overpass, she’s the darling of the truck stops, and she’s going to figure out a way to win her freedom. After all, it’s not like it can kill her.

You can’t kill what’s already dead.

Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire is due to be released June 2018 from DAW. It's the first in a series called Ghost Roads.

Why am I waiting on this one? I just started reading the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire and Rose is one of the characters she drew on in the book. I understand from researching that this book is more new to me than new. This is a new edition. The first edition was released in 2014. Still, I find the premise interesting and am looking forward to reading the book. I'm not crazy about the cover though.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The Queen of Swords by R.S. Belcher

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

"I am not your love," she said in a voice not entirely her own. "I am not your pet." She filled herself with clean air and felt her whole body burn with a power she did not fully understand. "I am a Daughter of Lilith; I am the Mother's sword. If you're so eager, come play, come play with death." (p. 97)

Queen of Swords by R.S. Belcher was published June 27, 2017 by Tor Books. The third book in the Golgotha series, it focuses on Maude and her daughter Constance and Anne Bonny. In the above excerpt, It is Constance who is doing the talking.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Review: Daughters of the Storm by Kim Wilkins

The King falls ill seemingly with a brain illness. He has fits of raving and then long deep sleeps. The sleeps become longer and more frequent. His wife, the daughters' step-mother sends for her son. The daughters come to his side as well. There are 5 girls, each so different from the other. Bluebell, the eldest, is a warrior and next in line for the throne. Rose was married off to a neighboring kingdom to help maintain a peace and loves her daughter dearly and another man. Ash is gifted or cursed with magic. She has been sent to learn to be a healer. The youngest of the girls, the twins Ivy and Willow, couldn't be more different. Ivy is all about boys. And Willow is aiming to be pious, but to the trimartyr god and not to, as she puts it, the heathen gods her sisters believe in.

The five daughters come together to take their father away from whatever might be making him sick. Then, they seek a way to heal him. Each weathers the journey differently. And each of the daughters faces challenges. How they deal with the challenges is so very human and not always as successfully as they would like. 

I thought in the beginning that 5 daughters would be too much for one book. But, Kim Wilkins makes it work. It's easy to tell when the point of view changes from one to the other because they are so very different from each other. And there is variety. So, for example, if you don't much like Ivy, you don't have to read about her too long before the point of view changes to another daughter. 

While a little slow in places, overall the plot moves along at a decent rate. When it seems slow, it's really setting things up for a future occurrence. 

I think this could mostly be read as a stand-alone, but there are enough loose ends to make someone want to read the next book. I'm wondering where the second book will go.

I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Overall, it's well-written with interesting characters and events. If you enjoy a good fantasy read, then you will probably enjoy this book.

Daughters of the Storm by Kim Wilkins is expected to be released from Del Rey books March 6, 2018.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #225: I Really Didn't Think This Through by Beth Evans

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Armed with her beloved illustrations, popular Instagram artist Beth Evans (197k followers) tackles a range of issues—from whimsical musings to deeply personal struggles—in this imaginative anti-guide to being your own person.

Welcome To Adulthood!

Hey, wait—where are you going…? 

Did you ever wish your best friend—the person you would trust with your innermost secrets, the person whose wisdom and comfort you seek in times of stress or self-doubt—could draw? Popular Instagram illustrator, Beth Evans, has made a name for herself writing comics and sharing her personal experiences on life as she enters and navigates adulthood. Her ability to find humor in common situations around love, social anxieties, depression, and work has created a cult-like following from her 217k Instagram fans.

Like Mindy Kaling meets Hyperbole and a Half, I Really Didn’t Think This Through gets at the heart of what makes life both so challenging and so joyful—figuring out how to be a person in the world. This book is a compendium of Beth’s collected wisdom and stories, interwoven with her tremendously popular and loveable illustrations. The book is a wonderful mix of fun (playful meditations on the band Rush and international pen-pals) and thoughtful (Beth delves into her personal history with obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression while commiserating on topics like dating and credit card shame) all with a simple candor that anyone from a teen to their grandparent can relate to. Through all of her experiences, Beth manages to extract valuable lessons, and the book is replete with friendly advice about caring for yourself, getting help no matter what your problems are, and embracing what makes you happy. Beth is a compelling storyteller, her drawings picking up where her words leave off, creating an approachable and immersive experience for the reader. Beth’s work feels like a hug from your best friend. And like a best friend, she’s here to say “You got this!”

I Really Didn't Think This Through by Beth Evans is expected to be released May 1, 2018 from William Morrow.

Why am I waiting on this one? I like the idea of "Mindy Kaling meets Hyperbole and a Half." It sounds like it will be entertaining while giving some interesting perspective on things.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

I went very still as it struck me that, right now, I was living like a cryptid.I was hiding from people who wanted to do me harm as much because of who I was as because of anything I'd done. (11% on my Kindle)

Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire is expected to be published March 6, 2018. The quotation comes from an ARC and may appear differently in the final copy. 

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #224: Night Dahlia by R.S. Belcher

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Laytham Ballard once protected humanity as part of the Nightwise, a secret order of modern-day mages dedicating to holding hellish supernatural forces at bay, but that was before a string of sadistic ritual murders shook everything he believed in--and sent him down a much darker path. One that has already cost him most of his soul, as well as everything he once held dear.

Now a powerful faerie mob boss has hired Ballard to find his lost-lost daughter, who went missing several years ago. The long-cold trail leads him across the globe, from the luxurious playgrounds of the rich and famous to the seedy occult underbelly of Los Angeles, where creatures of myth and legend mingle with street gangs and sex clubs, and where Ballard finds his own guilty past waiting for him around every shadowy corner. To find Caern Ankou, he will have to confront old enemies, former friends and allies, and a grisly cold case that has haunted him for years.

Night Dahlia by R.S. Belcher is expected to be released April 3, 2018 from Tor.

Why am I waiting on this one? I enjoyed Nightwise which was book one in this series. And I've enjoyed R.S Belcher's Golgotha series as well. Nightwise was a little on the dark side of urban fantasy, but I still liked it.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Maybe I should have listened to Murphy. Maybe I should have stayed home and played with some nice, safe, forbidden black magic instead. (p.112)

Storm Front by Jim Butcher is the first book in The Dresden Files series. It was published April 1, 2000 by ROC. 

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Review: The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

This is sort of a dark tale. And even a sort of a fairy tale. But, not a retelling. This is the story of Alice mostly. And to a lesser extent, Ella, Althea Proserpine, and Finch. This is also a story of stories with some embedded in the tale of Alice.

Once upon a time, Alice and her mother Ella lived in a perpetual state of almost homelessness sleeping on other people's couches and staying as guests here and there with the occasional hotel room sprinkled in. Everywhere they went they would leave as soon as bad luck caught up with them.

 Then one day, they get a letter telling them that Ella's mother is dead. Ella says, "We're free." But, she doesn't tell what they are free from. Alice pulls the note half burned out of the trash can and all she can read on it is her own name. The two of them establish a residence in Brooklyn and Ella meets someone and marries. Now Alice has a stepsister and goes to a private school. She works part-time in the afternoons/evenings at a coffee shop.

Then one day when Alice gets home from school she has the feeling that something has happened. And indeed it seems someone has been in the apartment and abducted her mother. Someone perhaps with something to do with her grandmother, Althea Proserpine and the book Tales of the Hinterland.

Eventually, Alice gets her mother's message to stay away from the Hazel Wood which was her grandmother's estate. Of course, that is the first place she will head looking for her. Alice feels she needs to rescue her mother from whatever/whoever has kidnapped her. She teams up reluctantly with a schoolmate and sort of rabid fan of her grandmother's, Finch. They go in search of Ella. Things get weird and twisted and obviously related to the Hinterland.

The character we get to know best is Alice. To a lesser extent, we become acquainted with Ella through flashbacks and with Finch when he agrees to help Alice.

I liked the way it was written. It kept my attention and made me read on to see what would happen next. It's definitely on the dark side. People are kidnapped; others killed. The Tales from the Hinterland that are in the book are dark as well.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. Overall, I enjoyed the book. According to Goodreads, there is an expected sequel as well as a collection of Tales from the Hinterland. This is a good read for people who enjoy fairy tales and don't mind a little darkness like the original Brothers Grimm type of tale.

First Chapter excerpt is available here on the Entertainment Weekly website.

The Hazel Wood was released January 30, 2018 from Flatiron Books.

I received a copy of this book from a giveaway on Goodreads.