Sunday Post #256

 

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.

I have nothing exciting to report. Which is good! It's been a while since we've been home this long. We'll be heading to Southern California to visit my son, DIL, and grandson in a couple of weeks.

My husband is still working on all the irrigation, but he's getting close to being done. It's a big job and thank goodness he was able to do it. I'm sure it would've cost us a mint, because just the parts and such has been a chunk of change! 

Summer is in full swing here with temps in the high 80s to low 90s. We're supposed to have four days of 100 degrees next week. I picked some wild plums, they're the size of cherries, and made some plum jam. My hydrangeas are blooming well, one is really blue and two are more on the purple side than blue. Not a fan of this heat, but I guess it is summer. 

These are the bluer hydrangeas

More purpley than blue

Nap time for Peanut

Read:

(Click on cover for Goodreads link)

You'll Never Find Me by Allison Brennan: 4.5 Stars

Storm Warning by David Bell: 3.5 Stars

Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron: 4.5 Stars

Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies by Catherine Mack: 3.5 Stars

It was a mystery/thriller week. I think next week will be mostly romances I need to get through. 

Library Lend/Purchased/Received:

I read and loved the first book in the Western Light series. I got an audio copy from my library, but just found out today I won a print copy from Reading is My Superpower! All Rhodes Lead Here was an Audible Daily Deal. Love Brenda Novak so I grabbed up a copy of The Banned Books Club.

Thank you to MIRA!

Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rachel (@wavesoffiction)

Review: Storm Warning by David Bell

 

Storm Warning by David Bell

Publication Date: June 25th 2024 by Berkley

Pages: 364

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★½

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

My Thoughts:

Jake Powell is heading off Ketchum Island, Florida to move back home to Ohio. Hurricane Kylie is bearing down so he’s trying to beat the storm. As he bids farewell to his friends in the apartment building Jake finds his friend Dallas, the building manager, dead on the floor, clearly murdered. From there it’s a fight for survival as Jake and the residents battle dangers from the storm and from the unknown killer.

 

Storm Warning was a page-turning, action-packed read, but a little one dimensional in characterization. Some of Jake’s decisions defied logic, IMO, but faced with the same chaos, I wonder if I’d handle things any better. I would’ve liked more meat to the mystery, like more potential motives from the characters forced to try and survive together.  Still, I do enjoy a good battling-the-elements kind of thriller and the story was a quick, entertaining read! 

3.5 Stars

Book Description:

A man living on a Florida barrier island must protect his family from both an approaching hurricane and a relentless killer.

Jake Powell is racing to get off the island as a powerful hurricane approaches. When he finds his best friend Dallas, the building manager, dead from a blow to the skull, Jake realizes there’s more than the storm to fear. There’s a murderer on the island, maybe even still inside the nearly abandoned building.

Dallas had repeatedly run afoul of the wealthy owners of the building by complaining about code violations and the precarious state of the condos. But he’d also once told Jake that every resident had a secret they’d come to Florida to escape. Had one of them killed to conceal their sins? As a dozen people shelter together in hopes of surviving the deadly hurricane, a second murder makes it all too clear: one of them is a dangerous killer.

Audiobook Review: Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron

 

Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron

Publication Date: June 25th 2024 by Macmillan Audio

Pages: 304

Audio Book Length: 8hrs 22min

Narrator: Henry Leyva

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★½

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

My Thoughts:

Mike Bowditch gets a call from a neighboring game warden needing guidance. He has a possible missing person. A man, not from around Maine, rented an ATV, despite warnings of bad weather and land conditions. Before venturing off, he was asking for information on a reclusive man, Mark Redmond, and his young daughter, Cady, seen around Prentiss Pond, a remote location close to the Canadian border.

 

Mike finds out that Mark is building a cabin for Josie Johnson, a bush pilot and family friend. The story raises Mike’s suspicions and so he and his father-in-law, Charley, travel out to check on Mark and his daughter, Cady. From there things go south. Mike, Charley and Josie end up tied up with a killer escaping.

 

The story took off at a breakneck speed after that with Mike pursuing this killer through the remote Maine wilderness, overcoming many obstacles, both from nature and of the human variety. I was glued to the story! While I do think Mike runs headlong into danger, most of the time he tries to think things through. Circumstances do not always allow for plotting and planning, especially with criminals. However, they usually don’t count on Mike’s dogged determination! The situation culminates in an exciting conclusion! Some things were left open, so I’m anxious for the next book!

 

One of the things I love about this series is that Doiron manages to vividly describe the Maine landscape, rough and beautiful, without slowing the plot.  

 

Pitch Dark is book fifteen in the series, but I feel you could read it as a standalone and still enjoy the story. I stepped in late in the game at book twelve and I’ve read enjoyed every new installment since!

 

I’ve listened to the series with Henry Leyva performing and he’s come to “be” Mike Bowditch to me. Doiron’s wry humor comes through loud and clear through his performance and I enjoy his Maine and Canadian accents. I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed and a little higher in some of the more intense scenes. A definite recommend!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

Game Warden Mike Bowditch must chase down a cunning and dangerous fugitive in the North Maine Woods in this nail-biter of a thriller from Edgar Award-nominated author Paul Doiron, Pitch Dark.

Legendary bush pilot Josie Jonson can’t believe her luck when a skilled builder just happens to show up after she purchases land near Prentiss Pond. All Mark Redmond asks in return for building Josie’s dream cabin is that he be left alone to homeschool his 12-year-old daughter, Cady.

For Maine game warden investigator Mike Bowditch, the intensity of Redmond's secretiveness is troubling, especially in light of suspicious criminal activity being reported around the area―including rumors of an armed man offering large sums of money in exchange for the location of Redmond and Cady. Josie, though hesitant to violate the trust of her prized builder, eventually agrees to fly Mike and his father-in-law Charley Stevens to the secluded pond in an attempt to protect Redmond and Cady. But hours after landing, the trip takes a dark turn when they witness a horrific murder and are taken captive themselves.

Freeing himself, Mike is forced to set off through the impenetrable Maine forest towards Canada, alone and unarmed in pursuit of a mysterious fugitive. As he navigates a windblown landscape choked with deadfalls and blocked by swollen streams, he marvels at his enemy’s bush craft. The killer possesses skills surpassing his own, and Bowditch can't tell if he is the cat or the mouse in this dangerous game. Can Mike Bowditch stop his adversary in time to save the life of a young girl, or will he be forced to watch another innocent soul die?

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releasing the Second Half of 2024

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Artsy Reader where each week they post a new top ten list and ask fellow bookish folk to share their lists on that topic. 

I'm sure there's more, but this was all I could find so far.

Most Anticipated Books Releasing the Second Half of 2024:

Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor

Publication Date: 8/6/24

Loved Taylor's Maggie D'arcy series so I'm excited for her newest mystery series!

Buried Too Deep by Karen Rose

Publication Date: 8/13/24

A new mystery featuring Broussard Private Investigators set in New Orleans. 

Karen Rose's romantic suspense novels are hard to put down! 

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

Publication Date: 10/8/24

After loving Hidden Pictures I'm ready to read anything by Jason Rekulak!

Primal Mirror by Nalini Singh

Publication Date: 7/23/24

I've been loving "Season Two" of the Psy-Changeling series and always read the newest release!

Bad Liar by Tami Hoag

Publication Date: 9/24/24

It's been 6 years since the last Broussard & Fourcade mystery! But to be honest, I would've read any new offering from Tami Hoag. 

The Holiday Cottage by Sarah Morgan

Publication Date: 9/24/24

Sarah Morgan writes the best multi-generational, feel-good stories! There's usually a bit of romance as an added delight! She's an auto-read now.

The December Market by RaeAnne Thayne

Publication Date: 10/8/24

Love Thayne's low-angst romances. They are a wonderful combination of healing, family, community.

The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews

Publication Date: 11/19/24

I've loved every book in The Belles of London series! Looking forward to Stella's story!

The Mirror by Nora Roberts

Publication Date: 11/19/24

Inheritance was so good! It ended on a cliffhanger, so yeah, I eager to read The Mirror! 

The Burning by Linda Castillo

Publication Date: 7/9/24

Kate Burkholder is former Amish which gives her an advantage in solving crimes where the Amish community is involved. I enjoy the Amish culture and the mysteries are riveting!

Well, that's my list. What books are you eager for the second half of 2024?

Sunday Post #255

 

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.

Nothing exciting to report. My husband was in Florida for work, and so it was just me and Peanut holding down the fort. The weather was nice in the mid 70s to low 80s, but we're in the 90s for this weekend. Not ideal temps for yardwork. My husband is running all the pipes for our irrigation, but can't work when it feels like 100+ in the sun. It's supposed to cool a bit over the next few days. 

I managed to finish a couple of puzzles while listening to audiobooks. I binged the last two books of the White Trash Zombie series for Anne's read-along. I hope to join the last chat tomorrow (Sunday).

Puzzle: The Boccie Ladies of Martha's Vineyard

Sweet Pea

Roses from the garden

Read:

(Click on cover for Goodreads link)

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood: 4 Stars

Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs: 5 Stars

White Trash Zombie Gone Wild by Diana Rowland: 4 Stars

White Trash Zombie Unchained by Diana Rowland: 4 Stars

Received:

Thank you to Berkley and Subterranean Press! 

Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rachel (@wavesoffiction)

How was your week?

Review: Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs

 

Winter Lost (Mercy Thompson #14) by Patricia Briggs

Publication Date: June 18th 2024 by Ace

Pages: 416

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

Mercy Thompson continues to be my all-time favorite UF series, so Winter Lost was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024! This is book 14 in a series that’s best read in order. If you haven’t read this series yet, go grab book one and start reading! The audios are a fantastic way to experience the series!

 

Winter Lost picks up with Mercy still dealing with the effects of the Soul Taker from the last book. Mercy’s worried, but so are Adam and the Pack, however this is put on the back burner when her brother, Gary shows up in trouble. To find a solution they must travel to Montana in an epic winter storm and find a lost/stolen artifact. They end up at a lodge with a varied group of guests as they search for the artifact before it’s too late for Gary and the world. I’m being vague so as not to spoil anything.

 

In this installment while Mercy and Adam tackle this immediate problem there seems to be a few brewing in the background: Bonarata being the most troubling one, IMO.

 

One of the things I love most about this series is the relationship between Mercy and Adam. They continue to be a united, powerful force against all that comes at them. I also love the bits of humor; the friendships and the intricate world of magic and creatures Briggs has created. The story was action-packed, full of danger and riveting! Of course, now I can’t wait for the next one!

5 Stars

Book Description:

Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, must stop a disaster of world-shattering proportions in this exhilarating entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

In the supernatural realms, there are creatures who belong to winter. I am not one of them. But like the coyote I can become at will, I am adaptable.

My name is Mercy Thompson Hauptman, and my mate, Adam, is the werewolf who leads the Columbia Basin Pack, the pack charged with keeping the people who live and work in the Tri-Cities of Washington State safe. It’s a hard job, and it doesn’t leave much room for side quests. Which is why when I needed to travel to Montana to help my brother, I intended to go by myself.

But I’m not alone anymore.

Together, Adam and I find ourselves trapped with strangers in a lodge in the heart of the wilderness, in the teeth of a storm of legendary power, only to discover my brother’s issues are a tiny part of a problem much bigger than we could have imagined. Arcane and ancient magics are at work that could, unless we are very careful, bring about the end of the world. . . .

Review: Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

 

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

Publication Date: June 11th 2024 by Berkley & Penguin Audio

Pages: 384

Audio Book Length: 11hrs 56min

Narrators: Callie Dalton & Jason Clarke

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

Rue and Eli are on opposite sides of a hostile takeover of Kline. Rue works as a biotech engineer for the company and Eli works for Harkness, the company who’s taken control of their finances. However, before this happened, they met through an online app for a hookup, and made a connection.

 

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Not in Love. I got off to a rocky start, set it aside, read a few friends mixed reactions and then dived back in, a little more prepared for the story, and was hooked.

 

I’m not a big fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope if there’s a lot of mean back and forth. It’s hard to come back from that, but this wasn’t that. I’m also not a fan of more sex than plot, and there were quite a few sex scenes. I read a couple, (they were well done and very hot!) and then skimmed over the rest. The plot lines, the reason Eli and his friends were investigating Kline, what was behind the takeover, as well as Rue and Eli’s troubled backgrounds, were what grabbed my attention and kept me invested in the story. The story was more serious, less silly and laugh-out-loud than Hazelwood’s previous romances, and it fit the story. Even though they were on opposite sides of this conflict, they couldn’t stay away from each other.  I truly liked both Rue and Eli and rooted for their HEA. I appreciated there wasn’t a dramatic third act breakup, too.

 

I alternately read an e-copy and listened to the audio version of the story. Callie Dalton and Jason Clarke did a phenomenal job narrating and I loved that they each performed their character the whole way through, even when it wasn’t their POV! Such a treat!

4 Stars

Book Description:

A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science—from New York Times bestselling author Ali Hazelwood.

Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.

Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through—and he’s a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can’t stop thinking about. The woman who’s off-limits to him.

Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business—one that plays for keeps.

Audiobook Review: The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant

 

The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant

Publication Date: June 18th 2024 by Macmillan Audio

Pages: 304

Audio Book Length: 9hrs 41min

Narrator: Emily Pike Stewart

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★½

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

My Thoughts:

Emlyn works as a nature guide in the wildness of Idaho. She fell into the work after being stranded in the small Idaho town three years ago, unconscious and near freezing, left out on her own by her then boyfriend, Tyler. Fortunately, a Forest Ranger, (a sweetheart of a man!) found her, took her in and she stayed, healing and moving on with her life. Unfortunately, her ex-Tyler has shown up asking for help finding Janessa, the best friend that introduced them. Janessa’s gone dark after documenting her vanlife adventure with her survivalist boyfriend on social media. Emlyn is torn over helping Tyler, getting involved by helping track Janessa down, she understandably doesn’t trust Tyler, but Janessa waded in when Emlyn needed help, and even though they are now estranged, Emlyn doesn’t want to abandon her friend if she is truly in danger.

 

The Nature of Disappearing is the second story I’ve enjoyed by Ms. Grant. Her writing is beautiful, almost poetic without being overly flowery and slowing the pace. The Idaho wilderness sounded gorgeous, and I almost felt like I was there.

 

This is a mystery, both in finding Janessa, and in what happened to Emlyn in the past with Tyler abandoning her, and what led to Emlyn and Janessa falling out. The story explores some of the insecurities that led Emlyn to almost dying three years earlier. The years away did her good, but the journey she took to find Janessa was cathartic even if dangerous. I wouldn’t say the story was an edge-of-your-seat listen, more quietly captivating with an underlying tension building. I was hooked from the first chapter and enjoyed every minute!

 

Emily Pike Stewart did a fantastic job bringing the story and characters to life! I listened at my usual 1.5xnormal speed. 

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

In this captivating novel of suspense, a wilderness guide must team up with the man who ruined her life years ago when the friend who introduced them goes missing.

Emlyn doesn’t let herself think about the past.

How she and her best friend, Janessa, barely speak anymore. How Tyler, the man she thought was the love of her life, left her freezing and half-dead on the side of the road three years ago.

Her new life is simple and safe. She works as a fishing and hunting guide, spending her days in Idaho’s endless woods and scenic rivers. She lives alone in her Airstream trailer, her closest friends a handsome and kind Forest Service ranger and the community’s makeshift reverend, who took her in at her lowest.

But when Tyler shows up with the news that Janessa is missing, Emlyn is propelled back into the world she worked so hard to forget. Janessa, it turns out, has become a social media star, documenting her #vanlife adventures with her rugged survivalist boyfriend. But she hasn’t posted lately, and when she does, it’s from a completely different location than where her caption claims to be. In spite of their fractured history, Emlyn knows she might be the only one with the knowledge and tracking skills to save her friend, so she reluctantly teams up with Tyler. As the two trace Janessa’s path through miles of wild country, Emlyn can’t deny there’s still chemistry crackling between them. But the deeper they press into the wilderness, the more she begins to suspect that a darker truth lies in the woods―and that Janessa isn’t the only one in danger.

Poignant, suspenseful, and unforgettable, THE NATURE OF DISAPPEARING explores what it takes to start over―and the cost of letting the past pull you back in.

 

Sunday Post #254

 

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.

This last Wednesday marked 12 years of blogging here on Waves of Fiction. I forgot, of course until after the fact. Blogging continues to me my favorite way to talk about books and I really enjoy the little community of bloggers I keep up with!  I'm not a socially outgoing person, I mostly do things with my family and on infrequent occasions do dinner with a couple of friends. I don't feel lonely at all and I think a lot of it has to do with my bloggy friends, so thanks to everyone who stops by and chats! No one gets a booklover like another booklover!

It's been a busy week around the house. My husband trenched 1,500 feet so we can lay out irrigation pipes so we'll be able to stop watering everything by hand! That will literally save me hours every week! We have 600 feet of hose so I can reach everything now.  

My rose garden is doing really well!

Chicago Peace. 

Savannah Sunbelt

Peanut the puzzle kitty

Read:

(Click on cover for Goodreads link)

The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant: 4.5 Stars

The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle: 4 Stars

Into the Fire by Allison Brennan: 4 Stars

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center: 5 Stars

As you can see I had a great reading week. I just finished The Nature of Disappearing yesterday and I was thinking of a way to describe it, and came up with quietly captivating. Into the Fire was a prequel to Brennan's upcoming: You'll Never Find Me. I'm even more excited to start it! 

Received/Library Lend:

Thank you to St. Martin's Press.

Unforgiven is a library lend. An Amish romantic suspense. Mud Season is a short story prequel to Agony Hill coming August 6th. It's currently free on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The Mirror was a "read now for 2 days" on Netgalley, the second in The Lost Bride Trilogy series. I loved the first one!

Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rachel (@wavesoffiction)

How was your week?