Dance of the Bones

Finished November 13

Dance of the Bones by J.A. Jance

This novel brings together J.P. Beaumont and Brandon Walker for a situation in Arizona. Lani Pardee is planning on going on an overnight retreat in the mountains with her 13-year-old godson Gabe. He has been a souce of worry recently for his parents who worry that he is taking a path that won't bring him anywhere good. The night doesn't go as planned, and they end up in the middle of a crime that has been decades coming. 

More than forty years earlier, Amos Warren had mentored young John Lassiter, and the two had a partnership finding and selling historical artifacts. Amos was killed and his body wasn't found for years. When it was, Lassiter was convicted of his murder and is still in jail for it. But a group working to clear his name has begun to dig into the case and the real murderer is looking to cover any remaining tracks and leave the area for good. 

This book ties in a native legend to the story, adding bits of that legend to the beginning of each chapter as it relates to the action in the plot. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book and the Walker family tree that was also included at the beginning, showing how various characters connected to each other. 

This was an interesting mystery with additional depth from the indigenous content. A good read. 

My copy also had a short story featuring J.P. Beaumont along with his wife Mel.

The Night Country

Finished November 11

The Night Country by Melissa Albert

This is the second book in the Hazel Wood series, and continues the story of Alice Prosperpine as she navigates her life in the human world, yet finds herself getting drawn back into the world of the Hinterland creatures who have, like her, escaped their stories. It also continues the story of Ellery Finch, the human boy, now man, who noticed Alice and helped her in her escape from her fairy tale. Elsa, Alice's mother also appears more prominently here and we get a better sense of her as a person. She was the one who took Alice from Hinterland to begin with and set the path to giving Alice a life that she chooses rather than just plays a part in. In Hinterland, Alice was Alice Three Times and we see glimpses of her story again here. 

The Hinterland has been in the process of dying due to the actions of Alice, Elsa, and Ellery, and the Spinner of stories there has some understandable resentment against them. Alice's fellow creatures have more prominence here as well, and we get to know some them like Sophia Snow more closely. 

As Ellery journey's through other worlds with a strange companion, he also yearns for Alice, finding a unique way to stay connected to her in the meantime. 

I enjoyed this sequel and how it continued the development of the two main characters. I also like the fantasy elements that Melissa Albert brings in, both the expected and the unexpected. 

This is supposed to complete the series, but I can't help but be interested in where Ellery and Alice will go next. 

The Cat, the Lady, and the Liar

Finished October 25

The Cat, the Lady and the Liar by Leann Sweeney

This is a book in the Cats in Trouble mystery series. Jillian Hart is a quilter who specializes in quilts for or featuring cats. She is also involved in a local cat rescue in her town of Mercy, South Carolina. She has been asked by the rescue director to discreetly look into the owner of a cat recently found near a highway. The owner is a wealthy woman in the neighbouring town of Woodcrest, Ritaestelle Longworth. When Jillian goes to Ritaestelle's house and talks to her assistant, she finds that things are not right, and when Ritaestelle shows up a Jillian's house later that same day looking for help, Jillian is only too happy to assist. 

Both women are old school polite, following established social protocols for behaviour and expectations. They are also both good hostesses and good women at heart and want to do what's right by the people around them. Jillian is a relatively recent widow, who is in the early stages of a new relationship with a man who is also a security specialist. Ritaestelle lives with two cousins, her sister-in-law, and her nephew and has a multitude of ties to her community. With rumours circulating about her mental state, and possible shoplifting and minor theft charges placed against her, Ritaestelle is looking to clear her name, and find out who might be setting her up and why. Taking refuge at Jillian's house for a time, along with her cat Isis, she cooperates fully with Jillian to figure it out. 

A cosy mystery with lots of cats present and showing their unique personalities. 

Boots Under Her Bed

Finished October 20

Boots Under Her Bed by Jodi Thomas, Jo Goodman, Kaki Warner, and Alison Kent

This book includes four novellas published here for the first time. They are all historical romances set in the western U.S. with a cowboy as a romantic character.

The first story, Crazy Callie, has a young woman desperate for a husband to escape the control of her greedy stepfather, who wants to take the land she inherited as her own. Callie has a plan that she enacts with the help of a couple of friends. She scours the streets of town in the wee hours looking for a man drunk enough to be talked into marriage as a transaction, and she finds Luke Morgan, a man also desperate for a future. He surprises her by his reaction to her proposition and as the relationship between them grows more trusting, he surprises himself as well.

Nat Church and the Runaway Bride has Nat arriving at a jailhouse to bail out Felicity Ravenwood, who has been arrested with a group of Temperance women. The sheriff is only too happy to see her go, and Nat takes her to the private railcar Felicity's father owns to continue his task regarding her. Felicity has left a man at the altar and gone on the run and her father, a railway magnate has asked a favour of Nate to find her, and find a mutually agreeable way forward for her. Felicity has had many men interested in marrying her, but more for the money that comes with her than for her own personhood. She sent her father a letter saying this and espousing a desire to live by her own wits. Her father has cut her off and sent Nat to supervise the situation. As they get to know one another, a respectful but close relationship develops.

In The Scent of Roses, Rachel James and Richard Whitmeyer meet on a train. At first, each chooses silence rather than conversation, for their own reasons. Eventually they use a game of cards to find out more about each other, with each guardedly answering questions posed by the other. The city they left has recently had a bank robbery, with share certificates and gems stolen from a deposit box. Both are interested in this, but haven't shared that information with each other. The story has a different and interesting role for a woman.

The last story, The Hired Gun's Heiress, Maeve Daugherty has found herself a job in a brothel, but not the obvious job. She does the books. Having left her home back in New York, along with her uncle, Maeve found herself in financial straits and found a job matching her skills. Zebulon Crow provides security for her father, both in business and in his private life, and now that he has found her, he insists on taking her back to New York. But others are looking for Maeve too for different reasons, and they may interfere in Zeb's plans. 

These were enjoyable reads, and I liked the independent spirit of the female characters. 

Act of God

Finished October 15

Act of God by Jill Ciment

I always enjoy Jill Ciment books. This one is a little quirky. Two sisters, Edith and Kat live in a rent-controlled apartment in New York City. Edith is a recently retired legal librarian. Kate, her identical twin is more eccentric and romantic. The year is 2015, and it is a sweltering summer in the city. They've recently had a new landlady, Vera Cebu, a Shakespearian actress who has lately become more famous for her TV commercials than her stage roles. 

Edith has been complaining about a musty smell to Vera for some time, but not getting a response. So when Kat discovers a phosphorescent mushroom sprouting from the wall in their hall closet, she gets angry.

Meanwhile Vera finds a Russian girl, who has run away from an au pair position, secretly living in her guest room, and calls the police to remove the intruder. In the course of the arrest, the police find a second mushroom in the guest room closet and they involve the authorities. 

All four women are forced by the authorities to evacuate their contaminated building with only the clothes they are wearing. The infestation spreads along the street and others get evacuated as well. From the building caretaker to the older couple with their much-loved cats, the people affected significantly by the outbreak come to life and find themselves making changes to their lives beyond what they'd ever imagined. 

An engrossing tale of opportunity, resilience, and community. I loved it. 

The Second Chance Inn

Finished October 9

The Second Chance Inn by Susan Hatler

This is the first book of a series set in Blue Moon Bay, a seaside community in northern California. Wendy grew up in this town alongside her brother Brian, both of them raised by their grandmother. Their parents traveled a lot and made the decision when the children were young to give them the stability of growing up in one place. Wendy has never really gotten over feeling abandoned by them due to this, and the bits that the reader sees of the couple here don't work against that. They seem close to each other, but not overly interested in either of their children. 

The grandmother that raised them also ran the inn of the title, and Brian has remained there and was a part of the operation. In her will, she stipulated that Wendy had to return to the inn and run it with Brian for a set period of time, before selling it. One doesn't get a real sense of how Brian feels about all of this, and I would have liked to have more depth to his character. 

The inn needs some work, and Brian and Wendy work to do repairs and refurbishments to get the inn in good condition for a sale. One of the guests at the hotel decides to extend his stay, and begins to pitch in on some of the work. He shows interest in Wendy, but she blows hot and cold, having been burnt by relationships in the past. 

There is also a legend associated with the inn that comes into the plot. 

This is a light romance, with a touch of suspense around what will happen to the inn and thus affect the future of the siblings. An easy read. 

Cosy Nook

 I am admittedly a fan of books. I like being surprised by a book, and I love receiving them as gifts. I've tried a few book subscriptions in the past few years, and I've liked most of them, but found that often the postage costs can be a deterrent, especially for subscriptions coming from outside of Canada.

I heard about a book box subscription that ships from Canada and decided to try them out. My timing was good and I received my first box yesterday. 

The name of the subscription is Cosy Nook Book Box, and I was pleased with the variety of items that came along with it. 

The box was delivered by courier and was well packed.

Opening the box, I could see that it was nicely presented as well. 

Even the way it was packed was appealing.

What book box would be complete without a bookmark. This one is cute and coordinates with the small label on the tissue paper. 

I can immediately see an eye mask, some cosy-looking items and an intriguing bubble-wrapped item.

There were several edibles, including a couple of maple cookies, a tea bag, and a packet for an instant cappuccino. I liked that they included both tea and coffee, although I am a tea drinker myself.

Other nibbles included some jelly beans and a package of Mike and Ike's (a candy that I've heard of but never tried). 

The next product I noticed was a "clarifying mask". Glam Up is a K-Beauty company, and they make twelve different masks. The one included here is good for dry skin and is supposed to provide deep moisturizing. 

Now, on to those cosy items I saw. They are all in coordinating tones of peach. The first is a headband with a twist, great for protecting one's ears in the cold while not creating hat head. The second is a soft pom-pom on a key chain, a unique and fun attachment for a key chain. The last item is an circular scarf/cowl that can be worn a variety of ways. 

 

And of course, the last item I unwrapped was the one in bubby wrap, which proved to be a candle with a pleasant and mild scent. It's not a brand I've bought before so it should be interesting to try.

Now of course, I'm not forgetting the main purpose of this box, the book! This month the book is Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier. Jennifer is Filipino-Canadian and this book is a mystery thriller set in the Seattle area. I like that it is a Canadian author.  

 

I was pleased overall with the items in the box and will be interested to see how much Canadian content there is going forward. Watch for the book review later this year.