Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde

A disfigured lonely war veteran, Social Studies teacher Reuben St. Clair, assigns an extra credit project to his class to change the world. Most do nothing, but one 13 year old student Trevor comes up with a concept to "pay it forward." Out of pure kindness, he helps three needy people, with the caveat that they repay his gift by each helping three more people in need . Meanwhile, Trevor lives with his mother, Arlene, who has been abandoned by Trevor's father and is also lonely. Trevor thinks his project is a failure when one of his beneficiaries goes to jail and another dies.

Moving and inspiring story. A few tears in the last couple of chapters and a bittersweet ending.   It has inspired a "Pay It Forward" Day in America. 

Loved this book.

The Girl from Baghdad by Michelle Nouri

The true story of a woman torn between two worlds.Michelle Nouri was born in Prague but grew up in vibrant pre-war Baghdad. Her privileged Iraqi childhood was like a fable; full of sun and games with her sisters and cousins in the crowded house of Bibi, matriarch of the powerful Nouri family. As a young girl, Michelle didn't fully understand the tensions between East and West that existed in her upbringing - Muslim ceremonies, Christian friends, Communist restrictions, private ballet classes and overseas trips. Her adolescence complicated things as family tradition dictated she should marry a cousin. She resisted - and instead found herself flirting with Uday Hussein, Saddam's eldest son. He invited her into a seductive world of tennis matches and moonlit concerts. But then, without warning, her privileged world imploded. The idyllic city of her childhood was devastated by war, and her father deserted his family to take a second wife. Michelle, her mother and sisters were abandoned and left impoverished. In desperation, they fled to Czechoslovakia, and embarked on a painful and emotional journey between cultures - Arabic, Communist and Western. 

It was interesting to read about growing up in Baghdad. The breakup of her parents marriage was disappointing, but not entirely unexpected given the attitude of her fathers family. But I don't understand how a father can just move onto a new family and leave his children behind.

Trick Shot by David Hunt

Kay Farrow is devastated at the death of her mentor, Maddy Yamada, victim of a hit and run driver. But what looks like an accident turns out to be brutal murder. As she investigates, Kay is drawn into a decadent world of wealth and privilege, where a gun club provides a cover for acts of depravity.

I enjoyed this book starring a colourblind photographer. Unusual, chilling and twisted. The raping women with a gun was not my thing.

The Conjuror's Bird by Martin Davies

In 1774, on Captain Cook's second expedition to the South Pacific, a single specimen of a thrushlike bird was captured. The bird entered the collection of eminent naturalist Sir Joseph Banks—but then it disappeared. Moving adroitly between the 18th and the 21st centuries, Davies indulges in clever speculation about the bird's whereabouts and adds an appealing strain of romance surrounding the identity of Banks's mistress, "Miss B." Alternating chapters chronicle the adventures of Fitz, a present-day London conservationist who's agreed to try to find "the Mysterious Bird of Ulieta" at the urging of a woman he once loved—but it's his spunky female graduate student whose ingenuity and indefatigable research do much to keep the plot spinning past red herrings, dead ends and the machinations of unscrupulous people racing to find the bird first. 

An intriguing mix of factual history, mystery and romance.  I liked the alternating chapters of present day and the story of Joseph Banks.  Kept me interested all the way.  

The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips

In 1931 Carbon Hill, a small Alabama coal-mining town, nine-year-old Tess Moore watches from the darkness of her back porch as a strange woman lifts the cover off the family well and tosses a baby in without a word.

It is the height of the Depression; while Tess’s father, Albert, performs backbreaking and dangerous work at the mine, her mother, Leta, makes do without meat on her table. But the family are luckier than most; the food they can grow on their plot of land has so far saved them from the crippling poverty and near-starvation that besets their neighbours. As Tess tries to unravel the mystery of the woman at the well, a portrait emerges of a family and a community struggling to survive the darkest of times.

The story opens with a baby being thrown in a well.  The mystery surrounding this event carries through the book, but really it is a story about a family, a place, a time, and a way of living. The story is told from the point of view of each member of the family.  Each giving the reader a different perspective on this hard life.

A wonderful, captivating story. I really enjoyed it.

The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman

Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the sinister impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a Coney Island boardwalk freak show that thrills the masses. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father’s “museum,” alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl, and a one-hundred-year-old turtle. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man taking pictures of moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River.

The dashing photographer is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from his father’s Lower East Side Orthodox community and his job as a tailor’s apprentice. When Eddie photographs the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the suspicious mystery behind a young woman’s disappearance and ignites the heart of Coralie.

 I enjoy stories that weave historical facts into fiction. This was one of those with a strange, twisted, interesting story. 

The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo

Still suffering from alcohol-fueled demons and obsessed with hunting for evidence against a clearly dirty cop, Hole grudgingly agrees to help look into the murder of a woman whose finger has been amputated and a red diamond stuck under her eyelid. More bodies follow, with the murderer leaving identical five-pointed diamonds (the titular devil's star) at each crime scene. At first the killings appear to be random, but Hole soon discovers an ominous pattern.  

Lots of twists and turns. Harry is his own worst enemy at times. 

Archangel's Heart by Nalini Singh

Excellent addition to the series.  Eve and Raphael's relationship continues to grow as they trust each other.  They rescue Eve's grandparents and find out a bit more of her family history.  We are told a few more hints about Aodhan, I am really looking forward to his book.

A Perfect Match by Jill McGown

The news rocked the town. A woman's body found in a boathouse. And the woman's last known companion Missing Presumed Fled. To the people of Stansfield it's an open and shut case. But Detective Inspector Lloyd - teamed up once more with Sergeant Judy Hill - isn't so quick to jump to conclusions. To begin with he's certain of only two things. First, that nothing can stop the reawakening of his tender feelings towards his colleague. And second: in a murder enquiry you don't rule anybody out... 

A nice, easy to read mystery with a twist I didn't see coming at the end.  I had worked out one of the murderers, but not the second.

Homecoming by Bernhard Schlink

As a child raised by his mother in post-war Germany, Peter Debauer becomes fascinated by a story he discovers in the proof pages of a novel edited by his grandparents. It is the tale of a German prisoner of war who escapes from a Russian camp and braves countless dangers to return home to a wife who believes him to be dead. 

But the novel is incomplete and Peter becomes obsessed by the question of what happened when the soldier and his wife met again.

Years later, the adult Peter remembers the novel and embarks on a search for the missing pages that soon becomes a mysterious search for his own father, a German soldier whom he always believed was killed in the war.

 Slow, rambling tale of a man obsessed with his absent father.   All very deep and meaningful but by the end i just wanted to Peter to get over himself.

A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn

"

I have never killed anyone, and I have never stolen another woman's husband. Oh, if I find one lying around unattended, I might climb on, but I never took one that didn't want taking."

The daughter of a scandalous mother, Delilah Drummond is already notorious, even amongst Paris society. But her latest scandal is big enough to make even her oft-married mother blanch. Delilah is exiled to Kenya and her favourite stepfather's savanna manor house until gossip subsides.

Fairlight is the crumbling, sun-bleached skeleton of a faded African dream — a world where dissolute expats are bolstered by gin and jazz records, cigarettes and safaris. As mistress of this wasted estate, Delilah falls into the decadent pleasures of society.

Against the frivolity of her peers, Ryder White stands in sharp contrast. As foreign to Delilah as Africa, Ryder becomes her guide to the complex beauty of this unknown world. Giraffes, buffalo, lions and elephants roam the shores of Lake Wanyama amid swirls of red dust. Here, life is lush and teeming — yet fleeting and often cheap.

Amidst the wonders and dangers of Africa, Delilah awakes to a land out of all proportion: extremes of heat, darkness, beauty and joy that cut to her very heart. Only when this sacred place is profaned by bloodshed does Delilah discover what is truly worth fighting for — and what she can no longer live without.

I loved this book from the start. Clever writing, humour and a mystery along with a charming, interesting heroine.

Addition by Toni Jordan

Grace Lisa Vandenburg, the narrator of this pleasant neurotic-girl-meets-boy debut, is 35 years old and has been addicted to counting since she was eight. She lives alone in Melbourne, Australia, and is on sick leave from her teaching job, filling her weeks with counting—steps and syllables and bites and things—and sticking to her rigid routines, which include trips to the cafe and phone calls from her mother and self-absorbed younger sister. The only person in her life Grace relates to is her 10-year-old niece, Hilary, who is as quirky and charming as Grace is. Things are fine until Grace meets Seamus Joseph O'Reilly, an Irish transplant who works at the local movie theater. Grace has not been on a date in two years and six months and hasn't been in love in forever, but as things progress with Seamus, she realizes what she has been missing. With some gentle encouragement, Grace agrees to test her boundaries and tries to find a happy medium between her obsession and living a full life. 

A quirky, funny and moving love story.  All about accepting who you are and the person you love.

I loved the bit about hoping for a long weekend involving a spa, 6 cans of whipped cream, a naked dwarf and a latex Batman costume, but getting 3 days of skiing instead. Rather disappointing.

Legacy by Susan Kay

Tracing the unlikely path from her tragic childhood to her ruthless confrontations with Mary, Queen of Scots, and capturing in all its glory her brilliant reign as Europe's most celebrated queen, Legacy peels back the layers from a mysterious monarch and satisfies the questions of history.

A fast-paced, enthralling story of one of history's most fascinating women. 

Death at Bishop's Keep by Robin Paige

 Kathryn Ardleigh is everything the victorian English gentlewoman is not - outspoken, freethinking, American... and a writer of the frowned upon "penny-dreadfuls". When Kate arrives in Essex, England, she shocks the household at Bishop's Keep - and captures the interest of amateur detective Sir Charles Sheridan as they begin their first case together.
A dead boy has been uncovered at a nearby archaeological dig. The investigation provides the perfect research for Kate's fiction. But the curious writer may be digging too deep - especially when the trail leads her into a secret occult society known as the Order of the Golden Dawn... 

An enjoyable historical mystery with a rather scandalous heroine, she rides a bicycle!

Blessed is the Busybody by Emilie Richards

Meet the unconventional Aggie Sloan-Wilcox, a minister's wife with her own calling: helping troubled souls in need of justice...

Aggie's free-spirited ways have been raising many an eyebrow at the Consolidated Community Church, tucked away in the cookie-cutter perfect Emerald Springs, Ohio. But nothing is more shocking than the naked body of a murdered woman turning up on her front porch. Suspicion falls on Aggie's husband, who had been counselling the victim before her death. And Aggie doesn't have a prayer of clearing his name unless she can uncover the truth in a town not known for confessing its sins... 

An enjoyable cozy murder mystery. Aggie has a sense of the absurd & an eye for detail. She, her family & friends are well worth visiting. Nothing too churchy.  I read another in this series if I came across it.

Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon by Donna Andrews

As a favour to her brother, Meg agrees to tend the switchboard at his computer game company Mutant Wizards. For companionship, besdides a crew of eccentric techies, she has a buzzard with one wing and her boyfriend's mother's nightmare dog. Not to mention the psychotherapists who refuse to give up their lease on half of the office space. This is not what Meg had in mind when she agreed to help her brother move his staff to new offices.

In fact, the atmosphere is so consistently loony that the office mail cart makes several passes through the reception room, with the office practical joker lying on top of it pretending to be dying, before Meg realises that he's become the victim of someone who wasn't joking at all. He's been murdered for real. Now Meg has to play out one dangerous scenario to find out who's guilty - before a cold-blooded murderer ends her game for keeps. 

I enjoyed this more than I expected to when it started out with all the silly buzzard & martial arts antics. It was silly, but I enjoyed it. Easy, escapist reading. 

The Ballroom Class by Lucy Dillon

Ballroom dancing. The right steps to a new life?

For Lauren, it's classic, timeless and romantic. That's why she's learning - for the first dance at her wedding. But her mum is increasingly terrified by Lauren's extravagant plans, as the wedding threatens to bankrupt the family... Meanwhile, Katie and Russ are taking steps to save their marriage and increase their communication. However, Angelica is running away from her responsibilities. Again.

As friendships are formed over the foxtrot, will the dancers learn more about their partners - and themselves?

I enjoyed this light read more than I had expected. Maybe it came along when I was in the mood for something easy to read.

I didn't dislike Lauren, just thought she was very immature. Katie was the character I couldn't take to and Russ was too wimpy. Wimpy men don't do it for me and unfortunately the only man in this book who wasn't a bit too "new agey" was a nasty, cheating sleaze.

I enjoyed this light read but am now ready to get back to an alpha man character.

Messenger by Lois Lowry

 Strange changes are taking place in Village. Once a utopian community that prided itself on its welcome to new strangers, Village will soon be closed to all outsiders. As one of the few people able to travel through the dangerous Forest, Matty must deliver the message of Village’s closing and try to convince Seer’s daughter to return with him before it’s too late. But Forest has become hostile to Matty as well, and he must risk everything to fight his way through it, armed only with an emerging power he cannot yet explain or understand. 

Well written, descriptive, engrossing and thought-provoking. A mix of post-apocolyptic and fantasy. There are mentions of Shakespeare, but the forest has a spirit.  A sort of story of Utopia gone wrong when people get greedy.  A young man who has the power to heal and in the end gives his life to heal the forest.

A really good book, though I don't like when the hero dies at the end.  He did save his puppy and the girl he loves though.

Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith

Precious Ramotswe is the eminently sensible and cunning proprietor of the only ladies’ detective agency in Botswana. In Tears of the Giraffe she tracks a wayward wife, uncovers an unscrupulous maid, and searches for an American man who disappeared into the plains many years ago. In the midst of resolving uncertainties, pondering her impending marriage to a good, kind man, Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, and the promotion of her talented secretary (a graduate of the Botswana Secretarial College, with a mark of 97 per cent), she also finds her family suddenly and unexpectedly increased by two. 

Delightfully simple prose makes for an excellent read. 

Meaner Than Fiction

MEANER THAN FICTION is a series of true stories written by an assortment of crime writers, academics and a forensic scientist who are all involved in the legal/justice system either directly or through research and together they demonstrate that the legal system doesn't always dispense justice sometimes it is powerfully and immovably unjust. Lindy Cameron kicks off by telling us about the shooting of Dr Andrew Taylor, Shelley Robertson then takes us into the courtroom for us to find out the the 'whole' truth may not be what the jury is told. PD Martin tells us that so many people are falling foul of the system that is suppose to protect the innocent that groups have sprung up across the world called Innocence Projects whose sole goal is to get imprisoned innocents freed. It is estimated that some 200 people serving time in Australia are genuinely innocent of the crime they have been convicted of. These are just a few of the 13 tales of injustice told - finishing with 'Did Ken kill Barbie' did a husband get away with murder? 


From the point of view of someone who sees the justice system in action I would say that most of the time Judges and Juries get it right. There are times though that I wonder what they were thinking. The information that doesn't get put before a jury is, at times, astounding as are some of the deals that get done.

It was a bit depressing to read of all the times justice has failed.

Hungry Like The Wolf by Paige Taylor

he Dallas SWAT team is hiding one helluva secret...they're a pack of wolf shifters.

The team of elite sharpshooters is ultra-secretive-and also the darlings of Dallas. This doesn't sit well with investigative journalist Mackenzie Stone. They must be hiding something...and she's determined to find out what.

Keeping Mac at a distance proves impossible for SWAT team commander Gage Dixon. She's smart, sexy, and makes him feel alive for the first time in years. But she's getting dangerously close to the truth-and perilously close to his heart... 

Romantic suspense with hot werewolves.  The writing was good. The heroine was ok. The hero and his friends were HOT. I enjoyed the bits where the SWAT team were training and were sent out on calls the most.  Not what I expected to be the best bits in what is a paranormal romance. 

Quid Pro Quo by Manna Francis

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

When he agrees to do a favor for his old friend Liz Carey in Corporate Fraud, Para-investigator Val Toreth is hoping for a simple case. After all, kidnapping and dismemberment are all in a day's work for the Investigation and Interrogation Division. But in the European Administration, simplicity is often a dangerous illusion, and anyone who goes looking for trouble in the corporate world is certain to find more than they bargained for. Fraud, sabotage, espionage, blackmail, decades-long vendettas, and murder--the more powerful the corporations, the darker their secrets. Corporate insiders and innocent bystanders alike are all too easily caught up in the conflicts, but when suspects can hide behind money and power, what chance is there of any justice?

And on top of everything else, Toreth also has to deal with Keir Warrick. But that's easy. That's just sex.


Loved this book.  It started with a bondage scene gone wrong.The writing was good, the story interesting and the D/s scenes imaginative.  Male/male sex isn't something I usually read, but this had me interested.  Not so much the sex as the Domination and mind fucks.

I'm going to be looking for the rest of this series.

A New Leash On Death by Susan Conant

"Holly Winter's life is going to the dogs, but that's just fine with her. She's a feisty, 30-something dog-lover, and her expertise in the breeding, training, and caring for canines is just one of her inbred talents. She's also a grand champion at tracking down criminals of the two-legged kind. When a dog owner is murdered at a training session, Holly enlists the victim's big Malamute to find the killer".

A cozy mystery. Death and attempted murder but no gory bits.  A bit over the top on information about dog shows and agility trials.  Rowdy, the malamute was the star of the book. 

If I Am Missing or Dead by Janine Latus

In April 2002, Janine Latus's youngest sister, Amy, wrote a note and taped it to the inside of her desk drawer. 'Today Ron Ball and I are romantically involved,' it read, 'but I fear I have placed myself at risk in a variety of ways. Based on his criminal past, writing this out just seems like the smart thing to do. If I am missing or dead this obviously has not protected me...'

That same spring Janine Latus was struggling to leave her marriage--a marriage to a handsome and successful man. A marriage others emulated. A marriage in which she felt she could do nothing right and everything wrong. A marriage in which she felt afraid, controlled, inadequate, and trapped.

Ten weeks later, Janine Latus had left her marriage. She was on a business trip to the East Coast, savoring her freedom, attending a work conference, when she received a call from her sister Jane asking if she'd heard from Amy. Immediately, Janine's blood ran cold. Amy was missing.

Helicopters went up and search dogs went out. Coworkers and neighbors and family members plastered missing posters with Amy's picture across the country. It took more than two weeks to find Amy's body, wrapped in a tarpaulin and buried at a building site. It took nearly two years before her killer, her former boyfriend Ron Ball, was sentenced for her murder.

Amy died in silent fear and pain. Haunted by this, Janine Latus turned her journalistic eye inward. How, she wondered, did two seemingly well-adjusted, successful women end up in a string of abusive relationships with men? If I Am Missing or Dead is a heart-wrenching journey of discovery as Janine Latus traces the roots of her own--and her sister's--victimization with unflinching candor. This beautifully written memoir will move readers from the first to the last page. At once a a confession, a call to break the cycle of abuse, and a deeply felt love letter to her baby sister Amy Lynne Latus, If I Am Missing or Dead is an unforgettable read." 

A very difficult read at times. It's easy to see domestic violence from the outside and to say just leave if it happens . It's not always so easy to leave.

The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope by Rhonda Riley

The narrator is Evelyn Roe. It is the end of WWII, and a family death has necessitated her taking over her aunt's farm on her own. She is 17, but suited to the work and the solitude. She finds a stranger half dead on the land, and he appears to be recovering from a burn with blurred features and pitted skin.

The stranger evolves over the next week into almost the twin of Evelyn. and Addie is "born".  Eventually Addie became her husband Adam .He had no past of which he was aware and while Evelyn certainly knew he was no ordinary human, neither of them knew exactly what he was.

This story the ordinary made extraordinary, all wrapped up in a wonderful, completely absorbing, and unexpected plot. Magical.The mystery of who what Addie/Adam is or where he came from is nec=ver answered.

I loved it. It was an 8/10 until the last 50 pages when it became a 10/10.

And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

This novel begins in 1952 as a father recites a bed time story to his young son and daughter during an overnight trek across the Afghanistan desert on their way to Kabul. The tale, we soon learn, tells the truth of the father's journey for desperate to provide for his new wife and growing family, the father has agreed to sell his daughter to a wealthy couple unable to bear their own in a deal brokered by their valet, his brother.

Abdullah returns to their village with his father but feels the loss of his sister keenly;
"She was like the dust that clung to his shirt. She was in the silences that had become so frequent in the house, silence that welled up between their words, sometimes cold and hollow, sometimes pregnant with things that went unsaid, like a cloud filled with rain that never fell."

but never relinquishes the dream of being reunited with Pari.

At just four, Pari quickly settles into her new life but it is the story of her adoptive parents - the wild, provocative Nila and her introverted and much older husband Mr. Suleiman Wahdati, that unravels next as witnessed by Pari's uncle, Nabi. A marriage of convenience it soon disintegrates when Wahditi suffers a stroke and Nila flees to France, her mother's birthplace, with Pari. Nabi is left to nurse his invalid employer, remaining with him even as the war begins to rage around them.

Moving then to Paris, America while never straying far from war torn Afghanistan, the fates of Abdullah, Pari, and those connected to them are slowly revealed. It is an emotional, poignant journey that weaves its way in and out of character, time and place.

A beautifully written, heartbreaking story of loss and loss and hope.

It was hard to follow at times as it jumped between different times and the point of view of each of the characters.

Brazen Bride by Stephanie Laurens

Major Logan Monteith and his four closest friends have been assigned to the task of beheading the Black Cobra - a villainous cult ravaging Indian villages - by taking down the cult's leader. When one of his friends sacrifices his life to secure a vital piece of evidence, Logan must carry a decoy copy of the evidence to England, while two of his friends do the same via different routes and a third carries the real thing. But the path to England, and the Duke of Wolverstone who is the mastermind behind Logan and his friends' trip, is fraught with peril. While battling Black Cobra cultists aboard a ship during a storm, Logan is tossed overboard and finds himself shipwrecked and suffering amnesia on the small island of Guernsey. Logan is rescued by the most unlikely of angels: the bold, beautiful Linnet Trevission. Linnet runs her realm like the Queen Elizabeth of old, but Logan finds that he will do anything to become this virgin queen's consort. But when his memory returns and duty threatens to tear him from Linnet, will Logan be able to convince this brazen woman that they can have a future together?


Adventure, romance and a lot  more sex than is usual in an historical romance. 

Allegiance of Honour by Nalini Singh

A staggering transformation has put the Psy, humans, and changelings at a crossroads. The Trinity Accord promises a new era of cooperation between disparate races and groups. It is a beacon of hope held together by many hands: old enemies, new allies, wary loners.
 
But a century of distrust and suspicion can’t be so easily forgotten, and it threatens to shatter Trinity from within at any moment. As rival members vie for dominance, chaos and evil gather in the shadows and a kidnapped woman’s cry for help washes up in San Francisco, while the Consortium turns its murderous gaze toward a child who is the embodiment of change, of love, of piercing hope: a child who is both Psy…and changeling. 
 
To find the lost and protect the vulnerable—and to save Trinity—no one can stand alone. This is a time of loyalty across divisions, of bonds woven into the heart and the soul, of heroes known and unknown standing back to back and holding the line. But is an allegiance of honor even possible with traitors lurking in their midst?

Another excellent book. Not a story featuring a particular couple but more one that has all the characters from previous books making appearances and finding out about where they are now.  Tied up a few loose ends from previous books and gave a hint as to where the story line might go next.

Protecting His Own by Cherise Sinclair

e-Book

Landscape designer, Beth King survived an abusive husband and built a new life for herself with the help of Master Nolan, the strongest, most protective man she has ever known. She loves him with all her heart, but the one thing he wants, she can’t give him. To her grief, the damage from her abusive first marriage means she can’t bear him children. 

As Beth and Nolan change their plans and pursue adoption, they're already imagining a baby girl in the nursery. But when two boys from the local domestic violence shelter see their mother taken to the hospital, they call Beth in a panic. Agreeing to care for them temporarily, Beth soon falls in love with the two adorable boys. 

Now Master Nolan has a new problem. How can he protect the children when their drug-addicted mother is released—and how the hell can he keep his sweet submissive’s heart from being broken when they leave? 

This was a continuation Beth and Nolan's story 2 years after their first book.  It was a lovely look at their life and relationship with a few glimpses into the lives of the other Shadowlands Masters and girls.  There were only a couple of scenes, one at home and one at the Shadowlands but it was still enjoyable.

Chickenfeed by Minette Walters

 A body is found in a chicken run . . . Based on the true story of the ‘chicken farm murder’ which took place in Blackness, Crowborough, East Sussex in December, 1924. Norman Thorne was found guilty of the murder of Elsie Cameron, but even at the time of his execution there were doubts about his guilt.  

Based on a murder which did actually happen in the nineteen twenties, this is an intriguing quick read where the characters are brought vividly to life.  I enjoyed it.

Wolf in the Shadows by Marcia muller

Sharon is a private investigator for All Souls Legal Cooperative in San Francisco. Her lover, Hy Ripinsky, has disappeared and she is searching for him. At the same time, All Souls offers her a "promotion" - a desk job managing investigators and paralegals, and that doesn't hold much appeal for her. Sharon's search for Hy leads her to RKI, a security agency with questionable practices. Hy was delivering a 2 million dollar ransom for RKI when he went missing, so they assumed he'd stolen it. Sharon agrees to find Hy, but first she must shake the agents RKI has tailing her.

My favourite line from the book - "Beware of the wolf in the shadows. He is watchful and patient, and when he catches you he will eat you up - skin and bones and heart."  

A really good mystery/thriller with a touch of romance.  Well written, fun read with lots of twists and turns that kept me interested.

Night's Honour by Thea Harrison

On the run from her former employer, Tess knows that she's vulnerable on her own amongst the Elder Races. That's why she decides to audition to become the human attendant of a powerful Vampyre of the Nightkind demesne. But while her position affords her the safety she seeks, her protector turns out to be more than she bargained for.

The right-hand man of the Nightkind King, Xavier del Torro is both terrifying and alluring. While his true nature frightens Tess, she can't ignore the appeal of his innate sense of integrity and self-restraint. Thrown into Xavier's world, Tess must quickly learn to navigate the dangers-both to her life, and to her heart. But the biggest threat comes from her own past . . . 

Romance with action.   The action started straight away, the romance took a while.  It was actually a pleasant change that the characters got to know each other a bit before they jumped into bed.

I enjoyed this enough to go looking for more in the series.

A Door Into Ocean by Joan Slonczewski

The planet Shora is covered completely by water, giving it the name The Ocean Moon. Its inhabitants, all female, have lived peacefully for tens of thousands of years, peacefully co-existing with all the creatures of the planet. That is, until the Valan traders from the neighboring planet of Valedon come, bringing with them pollution and a terrible stonesickness.
To understand the Valans, two Sharers leave for Valedon with the hope of sharing learning with them: Usha the Inconsiderate and her lovesharer, Merwen the Imaptient, who believes deep down that Valans are humans, too, like the Sharers of Shora. For her to prove this, she must teach a Valan the ways of Shora, and after their ordeal on Valedon, they bring home with them a young stonecutter's son, Spinel.
As Spinel's learnsharing begins, the Patriarch, protector of Valedon, wants to bring Shora into its folds in order to make use of its valuable resources such as minerals and fish. His Envoy dispatches a military unit to move relations along, at first with kind words. When that goes nowhere, he resorts to terrorism, both ecological and physical. Undaunted, the Sharers, unaccustomed to useless killing, fight back with pacifism and intelligence, hoping to bring an end to this unwanted presence on their homeworld.

This is an intriguing ocean world with its own culture and biological adaptions. Particularly clever are the clickflies—insects that are both a living computer and a communications network.  An excellent if slow read with great world-building and characters.

The Summer Kitchen by Lisa Wingate

With her adopted son missing and the rest of her family increasingly estranged, Sandra Kaye Darden is drawn to the little pink house where her Uncle Poppy once provided security. What begins for Sandra as a simple painting project, meant to prepare the house for sale, becomes a secret venture that eventually changes everything.

Cass Blue is having trouble keeping food on the table since she ditched foster care. When Sandra Kaye shows up with lunch one day, Cass has no way of knowing that the meeting will lead to the creation of a place of refuge that could reunite a divided community.

In this moving story of second chances, two unlikely allies realize their ability to make a difference...and the power of what becomes known as the Summer Kitchen to nourish the soul. 

A book that entertains and leave you with a smile inside. A really nice, feel good ending.

D'shai by Joel Rosenberg

The book is set in D'Shai, a land ruled by the Lord Toshtai, where the people have magical talents - kazuh. Some have the kazuh for running, others for acrobatics, swordsmanship, cooking, etc. Kami Khuzud, eldest son of a kazuh acrobat, seems to have none, but finds his talent - an undiscovered kazuh - during his investigation of his sister's death.

A well-written, light mystery set in an interesting Asian /Japanese feeling world. I enjoyed this and would be interested in reading more in this series.

Snow Angels by James Thompson

It is called kaamos-two weeks of unrelenting darkness and soul-numbing cold that falls upon Finnish Lapland, a hundred miles into the Arctic Circle, just before Christmas. Some get through it with the help of cheap Russian alcohol; some sink into depression.

This year, it may have driven someone mad enough to commit murder. The brutalized body of a beautiful Somali woman has been found in the snow, and Inspector Kari Vaara must find her killer. It will be a challenge in a place where ugly things lurk under frozen surfaces, and silence is a way of life. 

 I liked the exotic atmosphere. I knew very little about Finland, but it's delightful to pick up the nuggets of culture, history, and climate that are revealed in the book. It's a pleasure to read something set in a totally different locale.

The mystery was interesting with a few surprise revelations along the way. 

I would eagerly read more by this author.

Alien Embrace by Tracy St John

e-book

Amelia Ryan fled Earth’s fanatically religious government to live quietly among the aliens of Plasius. Her life of peace shatters when a three-man clan from the planet Kalquor kidnaps her and holds her prisoner.

With their people poised on the verge of extinction, the Kalquorians are determined to have Amelia for their mate. Amelia is equally determined to escape. But when her body thrills to the ruthless domination of her captors, she finds herself surrendering to desires she never imagined possible.

Aliens with 2 cocks, 3 dominant men who want to care for and spoil you and lots of kinky sex....what's not to like?

Wonders of a Godless World by Andrew McGahan

An electrifying, tumultuous story of inner demons, desire and devastation. On an unnamed island, in a Gothic hospital sitting in the shadow of a volcano, a wordless orphan girl works on the wards housing the insane and the incapable. She counts amongst her patients a virgin, an archangel, a duke and a witch. Everything appears fine until a silent, unmoving and unnerving new patient arrives from foreign climes. He claims to be immortal. Suddenly strange phenomena occur, bizarre murders take place, and the lives of the patients and the island's inhabitants are thrown into turmoil. What happens between the orphan and her beguiling new patient is an extraordinary exploration of consciousness, reality and madness.

Weird with a depressing ending.

Rosie Little's Cautionary Tales for Girls by Danielle Wood

Lively, sometimes thought-provoking, sometimes hilarious, always well-crafted and intelligent - this book is a series of musings from the fictional Rosie.

Some were sad, some had me chuckling and some were strange. An eclectic mix of linked short stories. My favourite was the first story about losing her virginity.

Last Wolf Standing by Rhiannon Byrd

e-book

Mason goes into a diner to get some lunch.  He smells his mate, and as she walks past him he trips her to get her attention.  She feels klutzy and embarrassed.  He comes on all intense and scares her so she runs.  This is all seen by the rogue werewolf Mason is tracking so the rogue werewolf goes after Torry (Masons mate).   Mason saves her.   Then Torry gets scared again when she finds out that Mason is a werewolf too.  So she runs away again.   The bad werewolf kiddnaps her and uses her as bait to try to kill Mason.  Mason kills the bad werewolf and Torry decides that Mason is OK and hot even if he is a werewolf.  They have lots of sex and live happily ever after.

Bewitched, Bothered and Biscotti

As a new witch—not to mention owner of Savannah’s most enchanting bakery—Katie Lightfoot is still getting used to casting spells, brewing potions, and mastering her magical powers. But that doesn’t mean she can’t find time to enjoy a picnic with firefighter Declan McCarthy…until she stumbles upon a corpse.

The dead man’s tattoo reveals he was a member of a secret society—and it turns out he's missing an object that was very important to the group. When Katie learns the killer was after more than the man's life, she and her Aunt Lucy leave the baked goods on the rack to cool and set off in hot pursuit of a killer. 

This is the second book I've read in the series, I don't think I'll bother with another one.  By the time I got to the end I didn't really care who dunnit.  The best part of the book is Mungo the dog.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

This book chronicles the year that Barbara Kingsolver, along with her husband and two daughters, made a commitment to become locavores–those who eat only locally grown foods. This first entailed a move away from their home in non-food-producing Tuscon to a family farm in Virginia, where they got right down to the business of growing and raising their own food and supporting local farmers. For teens who grew up on supermarket offerings, the notion not only of growing one's own produce but also of harvesting one's own poultry was as foreign as the concept that different foods relate to different seasons. 

Very much enjoyed this. Well written,as would be expected from Barbara Kingsolver. Thought provoking. Not a book to be read quickly but rather savoured. 

Brotherhood In Death by J D Robb

Edward Mira is a powerful man, with a lot of enemies. But when the former senator is violently abducted, Lieutenant Eve Dallas suspects his kidnap is more personal than political. Someone is seeking justice; the bloodier the better. 

Edward's cousin Dennis was injured during the abduction - and that makes things very personal for Eve and her husband Roarke. Dennis is a beloved friend, married to NYPSD's top profiler Charlotte Mira. 

But as Eve delves deeper into the case, dark secrets emerge that could tear the family apart. Edward Mira has friends in high places - and they all seem to be hiding something. As her investigation takes a shocking turn, Eve finds that not all victims are innocent, and that some bonds are forged not in friendship, but in blood.

As always a great read.  Good, interesting mystery but for me the star of the book is the relationship between Eve and Roarke.  A misunderstanding along the way but they GET each other. 

Now the long impatient wait for the next in the series.

Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

 I enjoyed this much more than I had expected to. A lovely, hopeful ending. 
The situations the characters found themselves in were believable.  It had me close to tears towards the end, but all worked out.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Alaska, the 1920s. Jack and Mabel have staked everything on a fresh start in a remote homestead, but the wilderness is a stark place, and Mabel is haunted by the baby she lost many years before. When a little girl appears mysteriously on their land, each is filled with wonder, but also foreboding - is she what she seems, and can they find room in their hearts for her?

Is the little girl a real girl or is she a fairytale come to life?  All through the book my opinion swung one way, then the other.  It was a beautifully written, enchanting book  with a bittersweet ending.  It was sad that those who loved her didn't understand her and tried to make her fit their idea of how she should live.

No Escape by Heather Lowell

Kelly Martin is a frightened teenage runaway who made a scandalous accusation, then vanished, leaving Los Angeles prosecutor Tessa Jacobi with a ticking time bomb of a case on her hands. When the investigation leads her to chic nightclubs, shadowy business deals and whispers of sexual slavery, Tessa understands that she's out of her league. So she asks for help from a man whose contacts and experience can help her bring Kelly home.

Burned by the system in the past, private investigator Luke Novak plays by his own rules -- and he's not about to change them to accommodate a smart, classy blonde from the D.A.'s office. But when a killer strikes frighteningly close to home, Tessa has nowhere to turn -- except to Luke. Because somewhere in a neon underworld, a young girl is running for her life. And Tessa is determined to get her out, even if it means placing her own life in the hands of a renegade she has no choice but to trust ... 

I enjoyed this light romantic thriller. Plenty of action and a touch of romance. 

Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs

For once, mated werewolves Charles and Anna are not traveling because of Charles's role as his father's enforcer. This time, their trip to Arizona is purely personal - or at least it starts out that way . . .

Charles and Anna soon discover that a dangerous Fae being is on the loose, replacing human children with simulacrums. The Fae's cold war with humanity is about to heat up - and Charles and Anna are in the cross fire.

Another excellent addition to this series. We get a small glimpse of some of Charles' past. They go to  Arizona to buy horses from an old friend of Charles and get caught up in a missing child incident. They solve the case and end up up with more than the one horse they went to buy. The horses were the stars of the story.  

Voodoo River by Robert Crais

Jodi Taylor is a popular actress who was given up for adoption at birth in the state of Louisiana. She hires Elvis to search out her biological parents for medical reasons. She has also retained the rights of a Louisiana lawyer who specializes in situations like hers. Elvis heads down to Baton Rouge to meet the lawyer and search for the parents. When Elvis walks into Lucy Chenier's office, he is immediately head over heels in love.

 Good read. Lots of twists and turns( from searching for a birth mother, to a murder, to people trafficking), a touch of romance. I liked Joe Pike.He didn't say much but what he did say added humour. I'd like to read more by this author.

Colters Lady by Maya Banks

Adam Colter finds an unconscious women in the snow outside his ranch gates. He carries her inside. When she wakes up he instantly falls in lust....umm...love with her, as do his 2 brothers.  They all decide they want to marry her, and rather than have 1 of them get her and the others miss out, they decide to share her.  She of course agrees with this plan.  They have lots of sex, all 3 at once and individually.  They have 4 children and live happily ever after.  The end.

Breaking The Chain by Golden Angel

The latest in the Stronghold series. There was a bit of spanking, a couple of sex scenes but no other real BDSM scenes. I like this series because it is similar to the Cherise Sinclair series. Doms who care about their subs, Doms and subs who are in relationships not just play together and that things don't always go smoothly but are generally not over the top ridiculous issues, and they are well written.