Sunday Post #307

 

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. I'm also linking up to The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance @Readerbuzz.

Happy Sunday! We're in Austin, Texas visiting our daughter, SIL and grandkids. It's hot and humid here, typical for August, but we've had a nice time visiting. Dinners out, an indoor sport complex with rock climbing and zip-lining, watching college football and working puzzles. This afternoon we had an impressive thunder and lightning storm with a heavy downpour. We fly home tomorrow (Sunday).

I got out early for a run and snapped a few photos of the local plants/flowers:

American Beautyberry

Desert Willow

Lilac Chastetree

Read:

One Dark Night by Hannah Richell-3.5 Stars

Rules for Ruin (The Crinoline Academy #1) by Mimi Matthews-5 Stars

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker-4 Stars

Received:

Thank you to Tor Books, Berkley and Hachette Audio!

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Review: Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews

 

Rules for Ruin (The Crinoline Academy #1)  by Mimi Matthews

Publication Date: May 20th 2025 by Berkley

Pages: 364

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Libro.fm | Audible | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Euphemia “Effie” Flite is tasked by her former teacher and guardian, Miss Corvus, to find evidence to ruin Lord Compton, a powerful political opponent of women’s rights. Effie’s all for women’s rights and wants the stipend promised to her, so she agrees. She hits a snag on meeting Gabriel Royce, a man intent on keeping Compton in power.

 

Lord Compton keeps the law away from Gabriel Royce’s gambling hall, but that’s not the only reason he wants Lord Compton in his pocket. Gabriel has plans to help reform the Rookery and he needs Compton’s connections and influence to accomplish them. Euphemia is a danger to his goals, but his plans to thwart her are undermined by his growing respect and attraction to her.

 

While this sounds like an enemies-to-lovers sort of romance, these two were never hateful or mean. Effie and Gabriel shared similar values and goals. Their admiration, attraction and care came through loud and clear and they had chemistry in spades!

 

I loved that Effie was a force to be reckoned with, well-educated in self-defense and strategy! Loved her adorable, spirited poodle, Franc, too!

 

Rules for Ruin was an utter delight! I was hooked from page one! The writing was beautiful, the characters multilayered and likable. I also enjoyed the author’s note detailing some of the history the story was based on. I can’t wait for the next installment, The Marriage Method (11/25/25) which centers on Nell and Miles!

5 Stars

Book Description:

No one betrays the Academy. But now Euphemia must decide: break the rules for her enemy, or let the rules break her heart.

On the outskirts of London sits a seemingly innocuous institution with a secretive aim—train young women to distract, disrupt, and discredit the patriarchy. Outraged by a powerful politician’s systematic attack on women’s rights, the Academy summons its brightest—and most bitter—pupil to infiltrate the odious man’s inner circle. A deal is struck: bring down the viscount, and Miss Euphemia Flite will finally earn her freedom.

But betting shop owner Gabriel Royce has other plans. The viscount is the perfect pawn to insulate Gabriel’s underworld empire from government interference. He’s not about to let some crinoline-clad miss destroy his carefully constructed enterprise—no matter how captivating he finds her threats.

From the rookeries of St. Giles to the ballrooms of Mayfair, Euphemia and Gabriel engage in a battle of wits and wills that’s complicated by a blossoming desire. Soon Euphemia realizes it’s not the broken promises to her Academy sisters she should fear. . . . It’s the danger to her heart.

 

Photo credit: Vickie Hahn 2021

About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, and Shelf Awareness, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats. Learn more online at www.mimimatthews.com. 

Sunday Post #306

 

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. I'm also linking up to The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance @Readerbuzz.

Happy Sunday! 

Even though the temps are hot this week (mid to high 90s) I feel like fall is in the air. The days are getting shorter and the sun feels different. Still, it's been hot and I've had a hard time getting myself out on walks or runs because of the heat, only getting out once this week. I'm going to try and do better next week.

 Last Sunday I joined the read-along chat online hosted by Anne @Books of My Heart for Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews. It's always fun to discuss and get different insights from the group. 

I made apple pie filling and canned it from some of the apples from our apple trees:

Today (Saturday) my sister and BIL picked us up and we went exploring some of the small mountain towns and lakes nearby and had lunch in Truckee on our way back home. It was beautiful! 

Sierra Buttes Mountain Range

Gold Lake, Sierra City

Waterfalls along the Yuba River

This weeks puzzle completed:

Vintage Library by eeBoo

Read:

(Click on cover for Goodreads listing)

What the Night Brings (Tom Thorne #19) by Mark Billingham-4 Stars

Hunter's Heart Ridge (Franklin Warren & Alice Bellows Mystery #2) 

by Sarah Stewart Taylor-4 Stars

The Rawhide Man by Diana Palmer-2 Stars

Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell-3 Stars

Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries #5) by Martha Wells-4 Stars

Received:

Thank you to MIRA, Macmillan Audio, Simon & Schuster Audio and Libro.fm!

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Review: Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell

 

Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell

Publication Date: July 29th 2025 by Berkley

Pages: 384

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Libro.fm | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Aubrey Spencer is vacationing near the old Hotel Seabrink, indulging her hobby of photographing abandoned buildings of architectural interest. The hotel has a mixed history with a few deaths and is rumored to be haunted. She finds out more about its history when she runs into Dimitri Petroff scouting the location to feature on his popular podcast. Dimitri and Aubrey have an immediate connection and end up spending the night together. However, when Aubrey wakes up, she’s startled to discover Dimitri left sometime in the night and fell to his death from the cliffs outside her hotel room.

 

The responding deputy is convinced that Dimitri took his own life, but Aubrey can’t fathom it. He was excited about his new show, and they had an amazing night together. There’s also rumors that Dimitri died because of the curse on Hotel Seabrink. Aubrey is determined to get to the bottom of things. Her friend Nikki joins her to help. I liked their supportive friendship and the fun back and forth they had even in some scary circumstances!

 

Asylum Hotel was a fun mix of paranormal and mystery! I loved the misty Northern California coastal setting which gave it an atmospheric and spooky vibe! It sounded haunting and beautiful! The past and present collide in a page-turning, thrilling conclusion!

4 Stars

Book Description:

When a mysterious figure shows up in the photograph an architect takes of the derelict Seabrink Hotel, ghostly encounters and murder are unleashed.

Aubrey Spencer loves photographing classic old buildings and abandoned places that hold old secrets. The Hotel Seabrink, perched overlooking the sea, is one such place. Currently abandoned but scheduled for a major renovation, it has a torrid history. Back in the 1920s it hosted A-list celebrity clientele, and now the locals insist it is haunted by the ghosts of two young women who died there. When Aubrey goes to photograph the site before the renovation begins, she bumps into a man named Dimitri Petroff, a minor online celebrity who shares her fascination with old buildings, the Hotel Seabrink in particular.

When he is found dead the next day at the base of a cliff, the police are quick to close the investigation. But Aubrey feels unsettled by locals who claim he was murdered and that it’s not the first time someone interested in the hotel was killed. As she digs deeper into the property’s dark history (and its origins as an asylum) as well as Dimitri’s professional rivalries, she becomes mired in an unsolved murder case from several decades earlier, one with eerie parallels to the contemporary case.  But someone is determined to keep her from discovering the truth—at any cost.

Review: Hunter's Heart Ridge by Sarah Stewart Taylor

 

Hunter's Heart Ridge (Franklin Warren and Alice Bellows Mystery #2) by Sarah Stewart Taylor

Publication Date: August 5th 2025 by Minotaur Books

Pages: 320

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

It’s 1965 and the start of deer season in Bethany, Vermont with a snowstorm fast approaching.  Detective Franklin Warren is called up to The Ridge Club, a hunting lodge, when a former diplomat, Bill Moulton, is found dead in an apparent hunting accident. As Warren and his assistant, Pinky, interview the guests they’re stranded by this intense storm with downed phone and power lines.

 

Alice Bellows is unsettled by the reappearance of an old intelligence agent, Arthur Crannock. He and his wife have bought a home nearby and are in the process of remodeling. It’s been years since Alice’s diplomat/spy husband died. Years since Alice has assisted with missions, but she’s suspicious of Arthur’s motives. Alice needs to figure out if she’s in danger.

 

Sylvie Weber, now heavily pregnant, tags along with Alice to a poetry reading. Alice gets caught out at Sylvie’s farm when the snowstorm arrives in full force.

 

This was a locked door sort of mystery with the guests of the Ridge Club stranded with Detective Warren and Pinky. There are several with a motive to kill Moulton and so they’re all in danger. Especially when the guests are reluctant to divulge information. It’s a mystery that kept me guessing!

 

Hunter’s Heart Ridge is the second book in a series best read in order, even though this is a new mystery. The history and relationships from the last book carry over, deepening and progressing here. We get more of Alice’s history, parts of it surprising and personally painful for her. I worry about Arthur’s presence. I continue to root for Sylvie and Warren even if it’s difficult. As with the first book, the time period was an interesting feature, and the setting of a wintery Vermont was richly portrayed! I’m eager for the next installment!

4 Stars

Book Description:

In this sequel to Taylor’s lyrical series debut, Agony Hill, Detective Frank Warren and his formerly CIA-connected neighbor Alice Bellows return to investigate the death of a diplomat.

It's November of 1965 and the second weekend of Vermont's regular deer season. Vermont State Police detective Franklin Warren is hunting in the woods when he gets a call to return to Bethany. There's been an accident at The Ridge Club, an exclusive men's hunting and fishing club for congressmen, diplomats, judges, and titans of a former ambassador has been shot while out hunting. With the war in Vietnam picking up speed on the other side of the world, Warren quickly realizes that many of the club’s members are powerful men who may have ulterior motives and connections in high places.

While Warren's suspicions about the club members build, his neighbor Alice Bellows is throwing a dinner party, preparing for Thanksgiving, and worrying about her pregnant friend and fellow widow, Sylvie Weber, whose due date is coming up. When Alice's old handler and friend, Arthur Crannock, unexpectedly shows up in Bethany, Alice begins to wonder whether his presence has anything to do with the death at the hunting club.

As an early season snowstorm bears down on Bethany, knocking out power and phone lines and blocking the roads, Warren and his assistant, Trooper Pinky Goodrich, are trapped at the Ridge Club, likely along with a killer, and Alice, increasingly fearful that her past in the intelligence world is no longer in the past, will have to act fast to save Sylvie and her baby.

Sarah Stewart Taylor’s historical series combines the intricacy of a satisfying mystery with keen observation of a time and place during great transformation and upheaval.

Sunday Post #305

 

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. I'm also linking up to The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance @Readerbuzz.

Happy Sunday! 

It's been an uneventful week which was nice. I worked, gardened, made blackberry jam and got my hair cut. 

We went out to dinner last night (Friday) and the venue had live music. It was a fun mix of country and rock, old and new. We came home and watched one of my favorite suspenseful movies: What Lies Beneath with Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. I gotta say I was a little spooked going to sleep after that!

I started a few varieties of sunflowers from seed earlier this year and they're blooming now. My favorite is Golden Honey Bear (middle and right):

Sunflowers

Rose: Firefighter with lavender

Peanut my snuggle kitty!

This weeks puzzle:

 

Nantucket Breeze by Charles Wysocki, Milton Bradley 1989

Read:

(Click on cover for Goodreads description)

Knife in the Back (New Orleans #4) by Karen Rose-5 Stars

The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan-4 Stars

Compulsory (The Murderbot Diaries #0.5) by Martha Wells-4 Stars

Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell-4 Stars

Received:

Thank you to Berkley and St. Martin's Press! 

So My Ex-Boyfriend is a Serial Killer is available through the Audible Plus Catalog.

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How was your week?