Book 86: Haunted Redemption

Rebecca Royce's Haunted Redemption is a rare paranormal book with a single mom as the protagonist.  Recently divorced, Kendall Madison is struggling to take care of her three kids with a patchwork of part time work.  Desperate she turns to Malcolm, a broker who specializes in solving paranormal problems, and requests a job which will take her back to her roots of banishing ghosts, demons, and other unsavory creatures.  Only it's both quote that simple.  The ghosts are massing in higher numbers and not sticking to the normal patterns of avoiding Kendall and being active at night.  Then her oldest son is possessed by a demon.  Her second starts having visions, and her parents reveal that she was completely missing from ages 9 to 12 with no memory of what happened.

I checked this book out from the Amazon Prime library and was surprised how much I enjoyed it.  If I had one gripe, it would be the love triangle set up between Kendall, her ex, and Malcolm.  It was unnecessary, and Kendall's waffling between the two men seemed like a distraction from the main story.  Still overall 4 stars.

Book 85: Wray

Wray by M. K. Eidem is the second book in the Tornian series.  The book starts out with Empress Kim sitting on the patio with her infant daughter, and then jumps back in time to recount her memories of the events that led her to that moment.  Emperor Wray is returning to his empire when an enemy vessel is encountered exiting Tornian space.  After intercepting and then boarding the vessel, Wray is enraged to find a small female badly beaten and abused inside of a closed cabinet on the bridge.  After healing her as much as possible with their portable unit, Wray takes Kim on the shuttle to the Searcher, but they are shot down and trapped in a nearby planet taking shelter in a cave from a storm.   Wray patiently works to gain Kim's trust and love, and together they gave the obstacles as they arise in the way home.

Another great story (with greatly improved editing as well).  I look forward to enjoying more of these books soon.  4 stars.

Book 84: Shifting Dreams

Shifting Dreams by Elizabeth Hunter is the premier of her Cambio Springs series.  Cambio Springs is a small tight knit community of shifters all descended from the original seven families who founded the town and became shifters after drinking from the fresh water spring.  Now the town has fallen on hard times due to the close of the nearby military base, but changes are coming.  A proposal for a new exclusive resort taking advantage of the natural (non-magical) springs in the area offers the promise of jobs if the idea can pass the town council.

Jena Crowe has her hands full running the local diner and raising her two sons alone.  She isn't looking for love.  Caleb Gilbert arrives looking for a change as the newly hired police chief.  He finds a challenge in Jena.  Then Jena's grandmother (who is temporarily holding up the new resort project) is murdered, and all evidence points to one of the shifters being responsible.

I've previously read in Hunter's original Elemental series, so I decided to give this one a try.  She did an excellent job of blending mystery and romance and the chaos of ordinary life.  Like her other series the depth of the secondary characters and development of the worldview were excellent.  5 stars.

Book 83: A Spell in Mag Mell

Life in the Coven Isle takes a strange turn as the balance becomes unsettled.  Hattie's cat Midnight has insomnia while her assistant can barely stay awake.  Gabrielle's garden suddenly has no strawberries but an abundance of overnight weeds.  Then Chief Trew turns up requesting help on another murder.  Why would a famous alchemist suddenly run afoul with snake iron and why was he trying to create dragon proof metal?

A Spell in Mag Mell by Pearl Goodfellow is the fifth book in the Hattie Jenkins and the Infiniti Chronicles.  This is the best book on the series so far.  While it has the same combination of cozy mystery and hilarious kitties, book five also does an excellent job of layering the overall impending fae crisis on top of the expected events.  4 stars.

Book 82: The Black Diamond Curse

After helping solve three murders in the islands in a short period of time, Hattie and most of her cats try to enjoy some rest and relaxation.  Unfortunately, their hike and picnic end at a beach with a dead body instead of the peace and quiet for which they were hoping.  Millicent Pond, eco-warrior, had recently begun advocating for the rock gremlins that mined the black diamonds on one of the islands.  Soon, Trew and Hattie discover a portal to the fairy realm in the mines that had been receiving large shipments of black diamonds; and Hattie becomes concerned when Trew begins acting strangely that he has once again fallen afoul a fairy plot.

Another delightful mystery with hilarious kitty antics.  4 stars.

Book 81: Hammered

The third installment in Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles, Hammered, begins with Atticus' attempt to quietly steal one of Idun's apples as payment for a favor received in the previous book going horribly awry and leaving Ratatoskr and the Norns both dead.  Despite warnings from Jesus, he puts his affairs in order and sets out to keep his promise to Leif to take him and four others to Asgard in order it kill Thor.  Naturally, Atticus should have listened to Jesus because things again do not only go according to plan.

Not quite as strong as the first two books, Hammered 
dragged a bit at times, and I felt like a 2000 year old druid should be able to avoid some of the mistakes that occurred. Overall, it was still an enjoyable adventure.  4 stars.

Book 80: The Witch of Bohemia

Hattie Jenkins and her octet of immortal cats are back in this third installment of the Hattie Jenkins and the Infiniti Chronicles.  The island's resources are being overwhelmed by victims of a magical drug known as Strands.  As the local mental hospital rapidly approaches maximum capacity, Detective Trew calls on Hattie's herbal knowledge to assist in researching possible remedies for the victims.  While researching ancient magical traditions at the local library, Hattie loses her temper with librarian Druida Stone, who has been purging all magical traditions except Romanian, because the lack of available resources in conjunction with the librarian's very unhelpful attitude is hindering her efforts.  The next day Hattie's confrontation has earned her a spot on the suspect list when Druida is found murdered in the library.  With the help of her cats, she sets out to prove her innocence by finding the murderer while continuing to search for a cure for the Strands epidemic.

The Witch of Bohemia is a delightful, fun addition to the series, and I look forward to the remaining books.

Book 79: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter is back in the second installment of the wizarding series and more than ready for his second year at Hogwarts after enduring a miserable summer with the Dursleys. After being rescued by Ron, Fred, and George to spend a glorious month at the Burrow with the Weasleys, Harry ignores the warning of the mysterious house elf who warned him against returning to school and attempts to catch the Hogwart's Express only to find the barrier to the platform has sealed.  Once at school, the new term is marred by a series of strange attacks resulting in the victims being petrified reportedly by some unknown monster from the legendary chamber of secrets created centuries earlier by the founder of Slytherin house.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by Rowling is a brilliant addition to this highly imaginative series of magic, courage, and friendship.

Book 78: The Violet Countercharm

The Violet Countercharm by Pearl Goodfellow is the second installment in the Hattie Jenkins and the Infiniti Chronicles.  Spithilda Roach may be one of the richest residents of the island, but she lives alone with her dog out at Hagsmoor at least until she is poisoned.  Once again Hattie is called upon by Detective Trew to assist in the murder investigation because of her herb knowledge and great instincts, and the cats can't help but lend a paw.

The mystery is entertaining, and the cats are hilarious.  4 stars.

Book 77: Blade Bound

Blade Bound by Chloe Neill is the final installment in the Chicagoland Vampires series.  On the eve of Merit and Ethan's wedding, a delusional vampire turns up complaining about hearing a voice shouting in his head and attacks Merit trying to quiet the voice.  The wedding proceeds without a hitch until they walk back to the limo and find a street full of humans screaming about a voice in their heads and attacking one another.  With no choice but to cancel the honeymoon, it quickly becomes apparent that the sorceress Sorcha has returned.  Now Merit and friends must work together to save Chicago and each other.

An excellent ending to a great series.  4 stars.

Book 76: Grim

M. K. Eidem's Grim is the first of three books about an alien race known as Tornians.  After the emperor discovered a female human aboard a slave vessel and she became pregnant with his child, Grim was ordered to find the empress' home planet and retrieve twelve unprotected females to bring back to Tornian.  Lisa Miller, a widowed mother of two girls, was visiting her husband's grave when kidnapped.  Upon awakening she immediately demanded to be returned to her children.  The other warriors on the ship, assuming the children would be male, refused her request; but Grim, whose scars made him unwanted by the few females on his world, offered to retrieve her offspring if she would agree to join with only him.  Arriving on Earth, he is shocked to discover that her offspring are female; and it does not take long for one of the others on board to order his men to take Lisa and the girls away from Grim.  Grim must find a way to keep his new family safe both from those who would take them by force and those who would declare him legally unfit.

The children were a bit too well behaved to be believable and the relationship between Grim and Lisa a bit rushed despite their misunderstandings, but the overall tale was still entertaining and enjoyable with plenty of humor and romance throughout.  4 stars.

Book 75: Filthy Witch and Dead Famous

Pearl Goodfellow's Filthy Witch and Dead Famous is the first installment in the Hattie Jenkins and the Infiniti cozy mystery series.  Hattie is an herbalist and reluctant witch with eight immortal cats.  One evening, she flies to a wealthy client's home to delivery an anti-aging remedy, discovers the client's golem motionless in the kitchen, and the owner's dead body in the bedroom.  Hattie agrees to act as a consultant for the murder investigation, and her nosy cats take turns pitching in with their own unique abilities.

An entertaining mystery made more enjoyable by the delightful feline characters.  4 stars.

Book 74: Midnight Riot

Ben Aaronovitch's Midnight Riot introduces probationary constable Peter Grant.  After putting in his first two years in the streets, he's dreading being shunted into a job of nothing but paperwork until he gets an eyewitness account of a murder from a ghost.  This brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightengale, who specializes in crimes involving magic and the supernatural.  With magic on the increase, a wave of random murders by people with no police records, and a disagreement between Father and Mother Thames, Peter has little time to get up to speed on an entirely new reality.

A well written police procedural with an interesting premise.  4 stars.

Book 73: Equal Rites

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett is the third installment in the Discworld series and the beginning of thread of witches novels.  A dying wizard attempts to pass his magic on to the eighth son of the eighth son, but he turns out to be a she instead.  When her magic begins to show, Granny Weatherwax attempts to train her as a witch but the magic is simply too different.  So the two set off to enroll Esk in the Unseen University.

This one had an exorbitant amount of nonsense and not nearly enough humor.  It's definitely my least favorite book this far.  3 stars.

Book 72: Hexed

After defeating his long time nemesis, Atticus O'Sullivan may wish to turn his attention to his shop, his new initiate, and a large patch of land in need of healing; but killing a god and half of the local coven has attracted all kinds of supernatural attention.  A larger witch coven is trying to take over the area, and Atticus and all of his friends are on their hit list.  Coyote insists Atticus deal with the demon still running loose in the area, and it turns out to be a much more dangerous fallen angel instead.  The Bacchans go crazy in a nightclub killing several people including two cops; and Atticus, who was trying to prevent the deaths, is the prime suspect in the police's investigation.  The pack is mad about losing two members, and his vampiric lawyer refuses to speak to him unless he promises to help kill Thor.  His life was certainly much easier when he maintained a low profile.

Hexed by Kevin Hearne is an action-packed, hilarious continuation of the Iron Druid Chronicles.  5 stars.

Book 71: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

In honor of the twentieth anniversary of the release of the first Harry Potter book, I decided to re-read the original series this month.

In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by Rawling, eleven year old Harry has managed to survive the last ten years living with the Dursley family.  After his Uncle Vernon refuses to allow him to open his invitation from Hogwarts, Hagrid being him the letter personally and takes him shopping for school supplies in Diagon Alley.  Then it's off to school, making friends, studying all kinds of subjects, becoming the Gryffindor seeker, and trying to solve the mystery of what Hagrid removed from Gringotts and who is trying to steal it.

A entertaining tale for all ages. 5 stars.

Book 70: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

Joanne Fluke's The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder is the first Hannah Swensen mystery.  Hannah owns a coffee and cookie store called The Cookie Jar in the small town of Lake Eden.  One morning the dairy delivery is late; and when she steps out back to check for the driver, she finds him shot in his truck.  Hannah's brother-in-law Boyd is assigned the case, and Hannah agrees to help him so he can be promoted to detective.  Of course, when she offered to help, she didn't realize that she would find the owner of the dairy company murdered as well.

A delightful cozy mystery with several tempting cookie recipes included.  4 stars.