The Becoming (The Dragon Heart Legacy #2)

The Becoming by Nora Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It picks up where The Awakening left off. Marco and Breen are in Talamh, and Marco is very accepting of Breen's other life and family. Breen and Keegan pick up their training and eventually their romance. Shana (Keegan's ex) overcome with jealousy attacks Breen. Shana evades capture, with Yseult's help and escapes to join Odran.

Breen meets her dragon and becomes a dragon rider.

At the end of the book Odran used a dream to get Breen to come to a hidden portal. Breen's blood is used to open the portal and Yseult and Shana come through with various other bad creatures and many die. Loren (Shana's boyfriend) died saving Breen's life, and Phelin (Morena's brother) is also among those killed. But in the end the portal is sealed and Talamh is saved until the next time...

Shana is pregnant by Odran. Odran wasn't able to come through the portal this time. But with Shana being pregnant with Odran's child once the child is born he will be able to drink the child's blood to gain power. Breen was able to defeat Yseult (Yseult really shouldn't have lied about everyone Breen loved being killed) but she escaped to fight another day, so Book 3 in the series is looking to be full of trouble.

Really wish this had been published earlier in the year as I really feel it should have gotten a nomination in the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards

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A Christmas Legacy (Christmas Stories, #19)

A Christmas Legacy by Anne Perry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a very touching short story Adelina Mary Harcourt is being mistreated by her son and daughter-in-law who can't wait for her to die so they can inherit her fortune. The servants do what they can, but their help is limited by their fear of being fired. So Millie (a young housemaid) does the only thing she can think of she goes to Gracie for help. Gracie takes her place in the household and since she has her own home to go back to has no fear of being fired and helps Mrs Harcourt stay clean and warm, as well as taking her food she can eat.

Sadly Mrs Harcourt passes away but she triumphs over her son and daughter in law as she leaves the bulk of her estate to the servants who cared for her at the risk of their livelihood.

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Never by Ken Follett (Goodreads Author)

Never by Ken Follett
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Really surprised I didn't like it better as I normally love Ken Follett's books. It's set in the future and we have a woman President, Pauline Green, (Republican) whose daughter is acting out and her husband is constantly complaining that she doesn't spend enough time with her Mother.

Abdul is working undercover to bring down al-Farabi and the ISGS, he is currently riding on a bus that ISGS is using to smuggle drugs as well as people.

Tamara is a CIA agent who has started a steamy affair with a wealthy agent from the DGSE, Tabdar Sadoul. And who is at odds with her boss Dexter. Tab has plans to fly Tamara to a vacation destination on his family's private plane. Plans that were almost derailed when she saw him talking to an ex-lover.

I am on Chapter 13 (page 254) and have to return the book to the library, but I have found it slow going for the most part. I hope it improves further along but I have found it really hard to get into.

I was able to get the book back the next day but this is the mos BORING political thriller I have ever read. Sadly the book ends with the United States and China embroiled in a nuclear war, mainly because everyone is acting like a bunch of kindergartners on a school playground.

Really hope Follett doesn't write anymore political thrillers and goes back to the historical fiction he does so well.

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Better off Dead (Jack Reacher, #26)

Better off Dead by Lee Child
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reacher agrees to help Michaela Fenton rescue her brother, Michael and discovers a plot to blow up a U.S. TEDAC stronghold.

Fast paced and as usual Reacher saves the day.

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The Judge's List by John Grisham (Goodreads Author)

The Judge's List by John Grisham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the beginning and middle but the ending was very rushed and unsatisfactory.

Jeri suspects a sitting judge murdered her Father years ago and has continued to kill people on his list throughout the years she goes to Lacy and the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct with the info and they are forced to investigate.

Not content to let the investigation take it's course Jeri informs the Judge of the investigation anonymously, but he easily discovers who is behind the letters and starts stalking Jeri. She is kidnapped and only escapes because some teenagers break into the house where she is being kept after the Judge leaves.

And just when the Judge should be apprehended he committees suicide. Or does he? The instructions he left in his will make me think he was up to something as well as the fact the FBI never found his secret hide-out.

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What's Blooming Now

 

Floral Fantasy

Pineapple Sage

 Mexican Tarragon

Fall Flowers

 

An Unwilling Accomplice (Bess Crawford, #6)

An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At least this time Bess' involvement makes sense. Bess is asked to escort Jason Wilkins to a ceremony at Buckingham Palace and then care for him afterwards until he is fetched by an orderly. All goes well until the next morning when it is discovered that Jason is missing and Bess is accused of helping him desert.

Bess and Simon set out to find Jason and prove Bess' innocence. But before they can track him down he is accused of murdering Lessup. (Lessup was responsible for his brother Jeremy's death). But when they finally do come face to face with Jason they discover that things are more complicated then they thought, Jeremy isn't dead but he is trying to kill Jason.

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The Butler by Danielle Steel

The Butler by Danielle Steel
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Honestly it seemed rushed. Abandoned by their Father Javier turns to a life of crime in Argentina while Joachim accompanies his Mother and Step-Father to France. After his Step-Father's death he uses his inheritance to attend Butler school in England and only returns to France when his employers die and he is out of work. Wanting to be near his Mother he takes a job in France with Olivia. Then Javier shows up and is killed by the police. Fearing that Javier's associates will mistake him for Javier (they are mirror twins) Joachim abandons his Mother and Olivia and returns to England.

Then his Mother dies and he hooks up with Olivia. Like I said rushed. I think the story would have been more interesting if it had been about his Mother Liese.

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Relentless: A Drizzt Novel by R.A. Salvatore

Relentless: A Drizzt Novel by R.A. Salvatore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Drizzt does make an appearance at the end of the book.

This book is told from Jarlaxle and Zaknafein's POV and for most of the book Drizzt is assumed to be dead or at least transcended (Kane, Grandmaster of Flowers transcended in a previous book but was accomplished enough to reconstitute himself). The book starts off with Afafrenfere contemplating trying to transcend and Grandmaster Kane telling him he isn't ready (Foreshadowing anyone).

Then we revisit Zaknafein's early days in Menzoberranzan, his joy in Drizzt's birth and the lengths he went to, to protect Drizzt. He ultimately gave his life so that Drizzt would be spared (Then Yvonnel brought him back to life Timeless, now Zaknafein is coming to terms with the loss of his son and the impending birth of his grandchild. Zaknafein is determined to protect those Drizzt loved and is trying to make peace with them and accept Drizzt's beliefs.

Artemis Entreri is trying to be a better man, which puts him at odds with Dahlia. She leaves when he refuses to betray Yvonnel, Wulfgar, Pwent and Kimmuriel.

Grandmaster Kane felt someone transcend and sends Afafrenfere to Gauntlegrym. Boundless where he is told where Drizzt was last seen Afafrenfere goes to Thornhold to see if any of Drizzt remains. When Afafrenfere is attacked by Clan Stoneshaft (dwarfs) he transcends before they can kill him.

The drows are at war with one another and have turned on House Baenre. But Yvonnel comes up with a daring plan to save House Baenre as well as King Bruenor and his followers. She and Matron Mother Quenthel join together to create a magical web and Yvonnel talks Cattie-brie into using Creation (Birth) Magic to make it possible. The web turns the Driders back into drow, and Quenthel makes the offer to them that they can join House Baenre. The Creation magic also reaches Afafrenfere and he finds Drizzt and helps him reconstitute his body. Kimmuriel uses it to reach Gromph and convince him to open the gates and deliver the (Water Primordial) magic needed to keep the Primordial (fire) caged. Pwent used the web to undo the vampire curse and Artemis carried him back to Gauntlegrym in time to save his life.

Cattie-brie reveals her daughters name Briennelle Zaharina Brie-Zara (named for Bruenor and Zaknafein) nicknamed Breezy by Pwent before...

"They all cheered, or started to, but then the other door to the room burst open and a man rushed in.
All in the room recognized the robes of a master of St. Sollars and the Monastery of the Yellow Rose, and recognized even more the man wearing them.
The lavender-eyed, white-haired drow ranger wearing them."

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When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash (Goodreads Author)

When Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I hated the ending and don't understand why Cash felt it necessary to kill the Sheriff off.

After the still birth of her son Colleen returns home to heal. Her Father Winston is busy with the investigation of a plane crash and murder as well as running his re-election campaign and caring for his wife who has cancer.

Winston's opponent (Brad Frye) is a developer who is trying to intimidate the local colored community into selling out so he can develop a larger gated community.

The victim at the plane crashed is an African American man (Rodney Bellamy) who had no reason to be there. Frye spreads the rumor that Rodney was involved in drug running and uses the rumor to get people to harass the Bellamy's.

The FBI agent sent to fly the plan out of there is pretty much invisible although Colleen gets a hint he isn't what he seems but she doesn't tell anyone and one plane ride cost her Father everything.

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A Darker Reality (Elena Standish, #3)

A Darker Reality by Anne Perry
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I found it rather slow going.

Elena is in America with her parents to visit her Mother's family for their 60th anniversary. She barely knows her Grandparents on her Mother's side, and is dismayed to find they seem to be pro-Nazi.

On the night of the party Elena takes photographs and a photo she takes is key to proving her Grandfather innocent of the murder of Lila who died during the party. But later Elena realizes that her Grandfather changed the time on the clock and therefore the photograph is a lie. She confronts him and he takes an overdose of his heart medication. His death allows the fiction of his innocence to continue.

In all honesty I wouldn't have enjoyed the book at all if it hadn't been for Allenby. I hope to see him in future books.

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The Burning (Clay Edison, #4)

The Burning by Jonathan Kellerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

OK, it's getting annoying how often Clay assumes that Luke is guilty of something if he is even remotely connected to a crime. This time his assumptions cost Clay his job and almost cost Luke his life.

When a very wealthy man is found murdered by his housekeeper and Clay in his capacity as Coroner sees Luke's car in the man's car museum Clay automatically assumes that Luke had something to do with the murder, and starts trying to cover up Luke's involvement and track down Luke. But no one knows where he is. And unfortunately Clay keeps playing phone tag with Billy Watts, who could have put Clay on the right path.

It's only after Billy is shot that Clay realizes he got everything all wrong. His brother's disappearance, and the murder aren't a result of Luke's past but of Clay's Half Moon Bay

With Detective Cesar Rigo hot on Clay and Luke's trail Clay is forced into fleeing when the Dormer's contact him demanding that he come alone. Speeding to Luke's rescue he will do whatever it takes to save his brother.

Not sure what Clay's suspension means for the series.

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Forgotten in Death (In Death, #53)

Forgotten in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eve is called to the crime scene of a homeless woman at a construction site, while still there she is fetched to view the remains of a pg woman that was walled inside a building Roarke now owns. The first victim's crime scene is on the property of the original owners of Roarke's property so the suspects in both crimes over lap even though the murders were decades apart.

Eve takes the time to learn about the homeless woman and the abusive ex husband in her past. Thanks to the diaries the woman kept as well as Eve's hard work she is able to put the ex husband in jail for his abuse after catching the woman's killer. She then puts her energy into discovering the identity of the woman in the cellar, and the motive for her death.

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Wings of Fire (Inspector Ian Rutledge, #2)

Wings of Fire by Charles Todd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A rather bizarre tale. When a poet and her half brother commit suicide Inspector Rutledge is sent to investigate at a cousins request. He finds a documented trail of murders inside her poetry and the evidence secreted in the old manor, they call home.

Rutledge spends his time looking for the corpse of her young brother who went missing on the moors and trying to unlock the memories of the townspeople who know the identity of the murderer.

I find it bizarre that instead of going to the authorities with her evidence she merely wrote about it in her poetry, and that rather then see the murder hang she committed suicide and took her half-brother with her.

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Wordless Wednesday

 

High Stakes by Iris Johansen (Goodreads Author)

High Stakes by Iris Johansen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We get a host of new characters added to the Eve universe.

I know Kaskov is supposed to be a villain, but I have always been rather fond of him (for those of you who have forgotten he is Cara Delaney's Grandfather) and in this side while he is manipulating everything to his advantage he also saves a young pianist life.

Lara has been a pawn in her Father and Volkov's games, but her time is running out as Volkov is determined that this Trial will kill her. If she survives the Trial her Father has agreed to give her to Volkov as his sex toy. But Kaskov has other plans he hires Logan Tanner to extract Lara and her Mother Maria from Russia and to keep them safe from Volkov

And Tanner has his own reasons to want Volkov dead. When Tanner and Lara team up there is fireworks and everything seems possible including a fairy tale happy ever after for the musical prodigy.

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Neighbors by Danielle Steel

Neighbors by Danielle Steel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Meredith White withdrew from life after her husband left her for a younger woman and her young son died in her husbands care in a tragic accident. But an earthquake changes everything for her. The famous recluse opens her home and heart to her neighbors and along the way finds a new love as well as reconnects with her granddaughter Julia who is pursing an acting career in LA

In order to make her granddaughter's dream of starring in a movie with her grandmother come true Meredith agrees to star in one more movie and is a huge success.

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Death with a Double Edge (Daniel Pitt #4)

Death with a Double Edge by Anne Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was nice to see Charlotte and Thomas taking a more active role in the book. When a lawyer in Daniels firm is found dead in a bad part of town a multitude of questions need answers. Daniel sets out to find them but Thomas warns him to leave Erasmus Faber out of it, if at all possible. Unfortunately the answers all seem to lead to Faber leading to even more questions and Thomas is warned away by his superiors at Special Branch. Faber's shipbuilding is needed by England. But with more bodies piling up neither Thomas or Daniel are willing to stop investigating. Then Charlotte is kidnapped and both Daniel and Thomas will do whatever it takes to get her back alive, and to insure their family's safety.

I hope to see more of Patch in future books.

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A Crown of Swords (The Wheel of Time, #7)

A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I really wish these books moved at a faster pace and that there were fewer fight scenes.

Rand and Min escape from the Aes Sedai, while Rand was held hostage Colavaere claimed the crown of Cairhienin. Rand quickly reclaimed Cairhienin for Elayne. Rand and Perrin pretended to fight over the Aes Sedai prisoners and Rand sent Perrin away (Perrin is really on a mission for Rand). Rand is fatally injured on a trip to visit Lady Caraline's rebel camp by Padan Fain, with Lady Caraline and Darlin's help Cadsuane is able to save Rand. The real surprise is that Flinn has a talent for healing and it's only through his abilities that Rand is saved. When Rand comes to, he uses the rumors of his illness to attack Sammael. Sammael leads him to Shadar Logoth where a mysterious man saves Rand and where Rand believes Mashadar kills Sammael. Rand claims the throne of Illian (The Crown of Swords).

Nynaeve, Aviendha, Birgitte and Elayne are hunting for a bowl that can control the weather (Bowl of the Winds). Mat is determined to keep them safe, no matter the cost to himself. Lan and Nynaeve are reunited and are married by the Sea Folk. Finally they have tracked down the bowl but before they can retrieve it they are attacked by Darkfriends only Mat's fox head medallion prevents the death of Elayne by the gholam. Mat manages to get everyone back to the palace at Ebou Dar and sends them on to safety but he stays behind to look for a young boy he befriended (Olver). While he is looking for Olver Ebou Dar is attacked by the Seanchan. Mat is caught in the attack and a building falls on top of him.

Moghedien escapes from Egwene.

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An Unmarked Grave (Bess Crawford, #4)

An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For the first time Bess' involvement doesn't seem forced. Bess is on the front lines dealing with war wounded and those who have the Spanish Flu, when an orderly brings a corpse who appears to have been the victim of foul play to her attention, and of course Bess recognizes the corpse as an officer in her Father's old regiment. Before she can report the case to Matron she falls ill with the Spanish Flu. When she recovers in England she discovers that the orderly who discovered the victim has also died an apparent suicide.

Her Father and Simeon look into it, but someone is afraid Bess knows to much and an attempt is made on her life. With the help of some new friends Bess manages to stay alive and the identity of the killer is revealed.

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Bloodless (Pendergast, #20)

Bloodless by Douglas Preston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After the absolutely awful Crooked River which I stopped reading after the police chief brutally murdered his dog for playing with a shoe I swore I would never read another Preston & Child book again. But I decided to give them one more chance and Bloodless didn't disappoint.

Pendergast has his voice back and this book is terrific. Although I found the ending sad. The book begins November 24th 1971 with the D.B. Cooper heist and then moves to present day Savannah Ga. Where Miss Felicity Frost has lovingly restored a hotel. Something is draining the blood from the residents and visitors to Savanna and Pickett wants Pendergast and Coldmoon to find out what is going on. Coldmoon is annoyed to have his posting to Colorado put on hold and agrees to the request with rather poor grace but Pendergast is intrigued.

To complicate matters two rivals (TV documentary producer and book author) are in town to capitalize on what the press has dubbed the "Savannah Vampire" they will go to any lengths to discredit one another and get the goods.

Pendergast sets Constance the task of getting to know Miss Frost and her seeing the inscription

From Z.Q. to A.R. Berry Patch, 4/22/72

in Miss Frost favorite book that she always keeps with her allows Pendergast to solve the puzzle after a quick trip to Oregon with Coldmoon in tow.

Leaving Coldmoon in Savannah Pendergast will travel to the creatures lair to kill it on it's own turf, only the intervention of Constance will save Pendergast life, but then Constance chooses to leave Pendergast and attempt to save her sister. Coldmoon apparently decides to stay with a distraught Pendergast as he is still in town when Dr. Quincy arrives in town looking for his lost love.

This book is more in the vein of Relic and Reliquary

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A Bitter Truth (Bess Crawford, #3)

A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I actually liked the one book I read in the Ian Rutledge Series better but am finding it impossible to find the 2nd book in the series Wings of Fire, which is very annoying. To me Bess Crawford's involvement in all these mysteries seems a bit contrived. Even so I do enjoy the series.

Bess arrives home unexpectedly and finds a complete stranger (Lydia) asleep on her door step and invites her in. Lydia eventually reveals that she fled to London after a fight with her husband (Roger Ellis) and that she doesn't know anyone in the city. Bess puts her plans to visit her family on hold in order to accompany Lydia (who has a concussion) back to Vixen Hall and they contrive a long friendship to make her appearance with Lydia seem normal. Luckily Lydia's Mother in law remembers that her late husband meet Bess's Father. With Bess's pedigree established she is invited to stay at the hall, for a memorial service for Roger's elder brother. After the service George blurts out that Roger has an illegitimate daughter in France that looks just like his late sister. Shortly after George has a long conversation with Bess revealing more about the girl. (Bess is in the parlor after everyone retires for the night because Lydia fled to Bess's room after the announcement). The next morning George is found murdered.

Bess has to go back to France for her nursing duties and promises Lydia she will look for the girl (Sophie). Bess confides her mission to her patient, Sergeant Larimore (I like him a lot and hope he appears in later books). Larimore takes it upon himself to find the girl and when Bess in called back to England for the inquest Larimore smuggles Sophie into England after rescuing her and the nuns from a fire. Larimore gets a message to Bess via her Mother and Bess rushes to Dover to rescue Larimore. She manages to get Larimore back on a ship to France with no trouble claiming he has a head injury and didn't understand what he was doing when he followed her to England and takes Sophie back to Vixen Hall with her. (No one else knows of Sophie's presence in England, apparently Larimore is a very good smuggler).

Lydia finds Bess feeding Sophie in the kitchen and insist on taking over the care of the child and is determined she will stay at Vixen Hall. Simeon comes to protect Bess (it seems to be the Colonel and Simon's main job after retiring is to keep Bess out of trouble along with some mysterious doings at the War Office). While the police are centering their investigation on the Ellis family Simon and Bess uncover the true motive for the murders (as more people were killed after George) was to keep the identity of a deserter hidden. When the deserter kidnaps Sophie in an effort to get Simon to leave they track him down.

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An Impartial Witness (Bess Crawford, #2)

An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Beth is drawn into a murder investigation when she witnesses  her patients' wife having an intense conversation with a man (presumably her lover since she is pg and her husband has been in France where he was severely wounded) at the train station.

When another man is accused of the murder, Beth sets out to clear his name before it's too late.

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A Test of Wills (Inspector Ian Rutledge, #1)

A Test of Wills by Charles Todd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Suffering PTS from his experiences in WWI Rutledge is afraid he has lost the skills to solve murders when he is sent to Warwickshire to solve the murder of Colonel Charles Harris, the chief suspect is Captain Mark Wilton, who was engaged to Colonel Harris' Ward and was seen to quarrel with him the night before his death.

Captain Wilton seems to be the only one with a motive to kill Colonel Harris, but what if the murder was a case of mistaken identity and the motive for the murder lies in an accident that happened 20 years ago. Can Rutledge find the murderer before he/she strikes again?

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A Duty to the Dead (Bess Crawford, #1)

A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bess is determined to see that Arthur's last wishes are carried out and in the process she uncovers a string of murders and frees the man who was blamed for the first murder as a young boy.

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