Ellery Adams – Lethal Letters

The sixth book in the Books by the Bay Mystery series, published November 4, 2014.
Genre: cozy mystery
Cover: nice



Restaurant owner and aspiring novelist Olivia Limoges is busy planning a delicious menu for Oyster Bay's biggest soiree of the spring. But she'll need to serve some justice as well after one resident gets eighty-sixed…
Everyone's got their hands full in Oyster Bay, North Carolina. Aside from two upcoming weddings, there's also the historical society's annual fund-raiser: the Secret Garden Party and Candlelit Ball. Adding to the excitement, Olivia witnesses the discovery of a time capsule in the foundation of a local church. The historical society president hopes to display its contents at their party, but when the items are finally revealed to the public, Olivia notices one of them has vanished.
After a frightening find beneath the pier—the body of Ruthie Holcomb—Olivia is certain there's a connection between the young woman's death and the missing piece from the time capsule. With the help of her fellow Bayside Book Writers, Olivia sets out to uncover some clues and ensure a killer has no reason to celebrate…


Another brilliant mystery by Ellery Adams. I loved every page of it. Olivia is getting married to the Chief, Rawlings, but she is still hesitant about setting a date. Is she doing the right thing? Will their lives match? Rawlings still spends a lot of nights in town in the house his former wife decorated when his job requires it, and Olivia stays in her own beach home with her beloved Poodle Captain Havilland. Her chef Michel is getting married as well, and he is driving everyone crazy as he wants everything to be perfect.
And when Olivia accompanies him to the church, the mystery starts when the renovation team discovers a time capsule hidden in the wall. Why is the pastor suddenly so afraid of its contents? Why does he run out to go get the President of the Historical Society? And why is one of the items missing when the box is displayed?

Does it have something to do with the death of a young woman on the beach? Who is the best and forbidden friend of said President’s daughter? The girl is devastated, and she blames her family. Is there truth in that?

And why is Olivia’s real father suddenly interested in starting some new businesses in town, buying real estate? Does he think she will welcome him in her life after all those years?

Lucky for the Bayside Writers, Harris is back in town, and he inspires them all to start writing again, and he is a big help in researching the case. Perhaps he has a future in the police department instead of a well paid job in the game company...


I did have a little hunch about the reason behind the murders I have to admit. But the real murderer, and another part of the plot eluded me. The murder weapon itself is very gruesome and Ellery, wow, well done! I have never come across something similar.
I really enjoy reading about Olivia and her personal life, her friends and family. She likes taking care of them. Little Bayside sure has its share of eccentric characters; I would love to visit sometime.

I also enjoy the new book that Olivia has started working on. The ending of the book was very romantic, and I loved that part as well. I look forward to the next book already, even though that will take some time as Ellery writes multiple series. But I love them all, so any new book will be treasured.

10 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian

Recommendations from Peggy for December 2014.

In order to bring some more variety to my blog, I have asked some of my bookish friends to tell about the books they have in the past month, and to give us a recommendation. Today’s post is made by Peggy from Belgium.

Peggy:

I have read 7 novels in the past month, and the 3 books I enjoyed the most are:

1. Anna Campbell - Her Christmas earl



2. Anthology: Christmas brides – Suzanne Enoch, Alexandra Hawkins, Valerie Bowman
and Elizabeth Essex



3. L.H. Cosway - Still life with strings




1. Anna Campbell - Her Christmas earl



No good deed goes unpunished...
To save her hen-witted sister from scandal, Philippa Sanders ventures into a rake's bedroom - and into his power. Now her reputation hangs by a thread and only a hurried marriage can rescue her. Is the Earl of Erskine the heartless libertine the world believes? Or will Philippa discover unexpected honor in a man notorious for his wild ways?
Blair Hume, the dissolute Earl of Erskine, has had his eye on the intriguing Miss Sanders since he arrived at this deadly dull house party. Now a reckless act delivers this beguiling woman into his hands as a delightful Christmas gift. Is fate offering him a fleeting Yuletide diversion? Or will this Christmas Eve encounter spark a passion that lasts a lifetime?


My favourite time of the year is here. Throughout the year I’m always on the lookout for Christmas stories. I must confess that I’m a romantic woman and I love nothing more than reading Christmas stories in the weeks before Christmas. And not only reading about it but I also listen to Christmas songs (and decorate the house for Christmas). As you can read, I’m really into the Christmas spirit at the moment.

So, when I discovered a Christmas story from one of my favourite writers, I naturally have to read it. And like always I really loved this story from Anna Campbell. Who wouldn’t want to be locked up in a closet with a handsome rake? I’m sure we all would love that. It’s certainly a different way of meeting someone and it changes a dull house party into an very interesting Christmas party. Philippa and Blair were both very lovely characters. I, especially liked the end of this story. It was the perfect end of a lovely story.

Another book I really enjoyed this month was the anthology ‘Christmas brides’. All four stories were wonderful reads. They’re four different stories about Christmas and finding love. I really love the combination of regency and Christmas. One of the traditions I love in these books, is the kissing under the mistletoe. Especially if it is a handsome man. (I wouldn’t mind kissing one under a mistletoe!)

Most Christmas stories are novellas. Those aren’t always easy to write but all the writers mentioned above did an excellent job of it.

This book has nothing to do with Christmas but it’s a wonderful read. I discovered this story ‘Still life with strings’ from L.H. Cosway in the anthology ‘Rockers after dark’. L.H. Cosway is a new writer for me. The writer has a special way of writing that is truly unique (at least that is what I think). Although her stories deal with ‘dark secrets and difficult subjects’, the writing is never dark. She managed to create a story about two people who aren’t perfect but they are perfect for each other. Her books take place in Ireland, that’s also different from most books. Like I said, I love this story very much and I’m very happy that I have discovered this writer.

This was my last review for 2014.

I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope that 2015 will be a fantastic year with lots of love, wonders and magic and filled with many wonderful books to read.

Love, Peggy

Aurian: Thanks for the recommendation Peggy! I am also a big fan of Christmas stories, but I can read them all year long. In fact, I just finished a Valentine’s Day anthology themed around hot chocolate. And as your book has a Suzanne Enoch story in it, I really need to have this one as well.
How about you ladies, do you like Christmas in your books this time of year?

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian

Gail Carriger – Waistcoats & Weaponry

The third book in the Finishing School series, published November 4, 2014.
Genre: Young Adult steampunk
Cover: nice



It’s one thing to waltz properly. It’s quite another to waltz properly with a bladed fan stitched into one’s corset.
Sophronia continues finishing school in style – with a range of deadly defences secreted in the folds of her ball gown, of course. Her fashionable choice of weapons comes in handy when Sophronia, her best friend Dimity, sweet sootie Soap and the charming Lord Felix Mersey hijack a suspiciously empty train to return their chum Sidheag to her werewolf pack in Scotland.
But when Sophronia discovers they are being trailed by a dirigible of Picklemen and flywaymen, she unearths a plot that threatens to throw all of London into chaos. With her friends in mortal danger, Sophronia must sacrifice what she holds most dear – her freedom.


Another Young Adult series I can’t get enough of. This is a sort of prequel to the Parasol Protectorate series, and when I finished this book, it made me re-read that series immediately. Because what happens in this book, directly impacts that series.

It is very hard to summarize a bit of what happens in this book, without spoiling the story if you haven’t read it yet. Sophronia attends a finishing school, which is not unusual for young ladies of quality. But this school is situated in a gigantic dirigible, floating in the aether. She not only learns all those things a young lady needs to learn, she also learns how to be a spy, and an assassin. She especially loves her new bladed fan.
Her friend Lady Sidheag Maccon gets some bad news, and needs to return to Scotland and her werewolf pack immediately. Sophronia and her best friend Dimity are on their way to Sophronia’s home to celebrate the wedding of Sophronia’s older sister, accompanied by Dimity’s brother and Sophronia’s beau, Lord Felix Mersey, who is the son of a Duke. The Duke is a high ranked pickleman, which is somewhat a problem for Sophronia, as they are enemies of the school. But perhaps she can sway Felix to her way of thinking ...

While at the wedding, something strange happens, when all the automaton servants start behaving not according to their programming. What is causing it? And when Sidheag shows up, accompanied by the Dewan (the Alpha of all the werewolves in England) and Captain Niall, a lone werewolf and one of their professors, they have to help their friend. No way will they meekly go back to school.

And so they find themselves in the midst of a plot between vampires and their archenemy Monique, who has left the school, and the Picklemen...


I love this series, and I am in awe of Gail Carrigers’ imagination. Sophronia is such a great heroine, she thinks fast on her feet, and doesn’t care about a person’s standing in society, like her friend Soap, who is a sootie (sooties, young boys, take care of the steam engines in her school).
She has a good grasp of politics and she is all for preserving the balance between the vampires, werewolves, and ordinary humans. The picklemen want to get rid of all the supernaturals, and the vampires and werewolves are always competing.

I hope the next book will be written soon, but first there is a new series on the horizon.

10 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian

Nalini Singh – Archangel’s Shadows

The seventh book in the Guild Hunter series, published October 28, 2014.
Genre: paranormal romance / urban fantasy
Cover: the poses are strange, especially the man on the motor cycle



Return to New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh's sensual and painfully beautiful Guild Hunter world in her new novel of sacrifice, loyalty, and the choices of love that can shatter the heart.

In the wake of a brutal war, the archangel Raphael and his hunter consort, Elena, are dealing with the treacherously shifting tides of archangelic politics and the people of a battered but not broken city. The last thing their city needs is more death, especially a death that bears the eerie signature of an insane enemy archangel who cannot - should not - be walking the streets.
This hunt must be undertaken with stealth and without alerting their people. It must be handled by those who can become shadows themselves...
Ash is a gifted tracker and a woman cursed with the ability to sense the secrets of anyone she touches. But there's one man she knows all too well without a single instant of skin contact: Janvier, the dangerously sexy Cajun vampire who has fascinated and infuriated her for years. Now, as they track down a merciless killer, their cat-and-mouse game of flirtation and provocation has turned into a profound one of the heart. And this time, it is Ash's secret, dark and terrible, that threatens to destroy them both.


In the war against Lijuan and her people, Ashwini was badly hurt. She was working with Janvier and Naasir behind enemy lines when she was caught after planting bombs in a building in hands of the enemy. But now she is all healed up, and ready for some action. Janvier is not so ready to let her walk into danger again, and he is determined to be with her, every step of the way. He has sworn allegiance to the archangel Raphael, so he can act as a liaison between the Guild Hunters and the Tower.

Ash is sent to question a vet who reported the find of a mummified animal. And with the horror or Lijuan fresh in the minds of the population, this has to be investigated thoroughly. Janvier takes her on his bike, and she really enjoys that ride. So does Janvier, and he sure wants more from her than that, but she has always kept him at a distance. But now, perhaps, it is time to live for the moment. Because Ash knows it can never be more than that. And becoming a vampire herself, is totally out of the question. Due to her powers, of seeing inside a person’s head when she touches him or her, physical closeness is impossible for her. But she has never been able to read Janvier.

When next the mummified body of a woman is found in a dumpster behind a restaurant, the investigation becomes serious. This reeks of Lijuan’s power, did she leave some of her people behind? Ash and Janvier have to go into the underbelly of the vampire world, with the sex and blood clubs, the groupies and junkies who sell their blood for their next fix. Some vampires treat their donor’s with respect, but most of the vampires who frequent those clubs only see humans as cattle. To do with as they see fit. But when they find a likely suspect, he is alibied by the women he is keeping in his home, and who are completely in his thrall.

Then there is the new streetdrug Umber, that really affects vampires, awakening their bloodlust. It has to be stopped before the streets of New York color red with blood again.

In the mean time, Elena has to deal with a visit from her mother in law.
She is also interacting well with the Legion, making them feel at home and getting to know them individually. They are not used to act on their own instead of part of a hive mind, but she makes them more “human”. I loved how she finds out that they love to work with the earth, with plants, and need them around. She puts them to work in her green house.

And then there is Naasir. Elena wants to know what he is, and so do I. I am so very curious about him. He brought Elena a gift, and he only does that to people he likes. The whole Seven attended that evening to find out what he brought, as he has some outrageous ideas on proper gifts. He once brought a bucket of piranha’s...


A great new book in a great series. I loved Ashwini and Janvier together, and I do believe that Ashwini has legitimate reasons for not wanting a relationship. I did hurt for her and Janvier. The mystery part, the evil ones who are behind the drugs and the mummifications, that was very well done as well. I am glad justice was served.
I also liked the part where Raphael showed the vampires in town who really is the boss in town: not them!

I love reading about the other characters in this series, and find out more about their lives after they had their love stories. I can’t wait to read the next one, which I hope is about Naasir. Or Bluebell.

10 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian

New additions to my addiction

My 19th new additions post for 2014. Here is a list of the new books I added to my collection in the past month.

From Bookdepository:
Jean Johnson – Damnation
Laura Childs – Eggs in a Casket
Duffy Brown – Geared for the Grave
Anthology: Night Shift – Nalini Singh; Ilona Andrews; Lisa Shearin; Milla Vane (three authors whose work I love, and one new one).

Books swapped with Blodeuedd:
Ann Aguirre – Blue Diablo
Vivan Arend – Turn it up
Dakota Cassidy – You dropped a blonde on me
Ellen Connor - Nightfall
Tessa Dare – A lady of Persuasion
Tessa Dare – Surrender of a Siren
Samantha Grace – In bed with a rogue
Jennifer Haymore – A hint of wicked
Leanna Renee Hieber – The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker
Jillian Hunter – A Duke’s Temptation
Julie James – A lot like love
Julie James – It happened one wedding
Joanne Kennedy – Cowboy Fever
Joanne Kennedy – Cowboy Tough
Joanne Kennedy – How to handle a Cowboy
Joanne Kennedy – Tall, Dark and Cowboy
Ashley March – Romancing the Countess
Christie Ridgway – Can’t hurry love
Michelle Rowen – Tall, Dark and Fangsome
Lyndsay Sands – A bite to remember
Lyndsay Sands – A quick bite
Lyndsay Sands – Bite me if you can
Lyndsay Sands – The accidental vampire
Lyndsay Sands – Vampire, Interrupted
Lyndsay Sands – Vampires are forever
Elizabeth Vaughan – Dagger-Star
Carry Vaughn – Kitty goes to Washington
Tracy Anne Warren – Her Highness and the Highlander
Anthology – The Beast Within – Erin McCarthy; Bianca d’Arc; Jennifer Lyon
Anthology – Wolfsbane and Mistletoe

Thanks again B, this means many weeks of reading pleasure to me!

A Christmas present from Blodeuedd:
Maia Chance – Snow White Red-Handed

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian

Nora Roberts – The last honest woman

The first book in the O'Hurley series, published May 1, 1988.
Genre: contemporary romance
Cover: I prefer my book cover, it features a landscape. I really don’t like the title though.



The truth could NOT be told.
Abigail O’Hurley Rockwell was a desperate woman. Journalist Dylan Crosby was going to start digging up her past for the book he was writing about her infamous late husband. It was just research to him, but to her it was a painful reality that had to be kept under lock and key for the sake of her children. Abby would do anything to keep their world safe – no matter how compelling Dylan’s promises might be...


Abby is working hard to make a comfortable live for herself and her two little boys. She owns a little farm in Virginia, where she has just started breeding horses. Her husband was a famous race car driver, but their marriage was far from perfect. Chuck Rockwell swept her off her feet when she was 19, and their married quickly. She followed him around the world, until she got pregnant with their first son, Ben. His mother never approved of Abby, as she was just a third rate entertainer, and living with her for a while, was not easy for Abby. So she persuaded Chuck to buy her a little farm. But Chuck was not a man to settle down, he craved the racing world, the speed, the fame, the women. And after he died, his mother, who still ruled his trustfund, cut Abby and her children of without a cent. It has not been easy repairing the house and getting the farm up, but she managed it. And now this journalist wants to write about her husband, she will have to keep the ugly truth from him, to protect her sons... They don’t deserve to know everything about her husband ...

Dylan has this completely wrong idea about Abby: he pictures her as a money grabber who snatched herself a rich and famous husband and then stopped supporting him during his races. He expects a big wealthy ranch and lots of servants. After all, he has seen all those pictures of Abby in Monte Carlo, Paris, New York, wearing jewels and furs. He could not be more wrong ... To write the book, and interview her, he will have to live in her house for a while. But he refuses to acknowledge what he sees. Sure she must be leading him on. All women are born deceivers, his ex-wife taught him that. But he will get to the bottom of the truth, he has interviewed other people already, like Chuck’s latest mistress.

What he does not expect, is falling for her boys, and for Abby herself...


I know I have read and enjoyed the other O’Hurley books, but I can’t remember anything about this one, and I am sure I have read it before. I have the Dutch books in one big trilogy after all.

I liked Abby, she has always been the strong and dependable one of the triplets. She has built a good life for herself and her sons, and she wants to protect them from the uglier side of their father. She is not used to anyone taking care of her, apart from her mother, so when she gets sick and Dylan steps in, she doesn’t know how to react.
But by bit, Dylan gets the truth out of Abby. She did not know about his drug abuse, but she did know about his many girlfriends. She is the one who filed for divorce though...

I had a hard time liking Dylan, as he is a typical 80’s hero. Take charge, and just grab the woman if she doesn’t do what you want. Sure Abby is attracted to him, but she won’t just sleep with him because of that. And he doesn’t want to accept that. He wants her in his bed. And when she tells him she loves him, he doesn’t know how to handle that. He is a free spirit, he doesn’t want to settle down, or does he?

It was fun when Abby’s whole family descended upon the farm though, her bond with them is so great. Her father who doesn’t want to lift a finger if he doesn’t have to, who is a born entertainer, as is her mother. And her famous sisters Chantel and Maddy, they do pitch in, just like old times. But they all love Abby, and will protect her from Dylan if necessary.

A nice little romance, and I liked it. Perfect for a rainy afternoon.

7 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian

Yasmine Galenorn – One hex of a wedding

The fifth book in the Chintz 'n China series, published August 1, 2006
Genre: paranormal mystery
Cover: meh



Delicious blends of tea aren’t the only draw at the Chintz ‘n China Tea Room – Emerald O’Brien, owner and medium also offers her customers tarot card readings. But Emerald, a single mother of two, never saw herself as a sleuth – which proves that even seers make mistakes...

Emerald O’Brien is about to tie the knot with her fiancé, Joe, but one uninvited guest to their engagement party reminds her that some ties still need to be severed. Her ex-hubby, Roy, can’t hold his liquor – or his temper – and after brawling with Joe, he threatens to ruin their wedding. When Joe is wounded by a gunshot the next day, Roy becomes the prime suspect. Emerald knows her ex has a mean streak a mile wide but doesn’t believe he is capable of attempted murder. And when a sinister presence starts stalking her maid of honor, Em begins to worry that her marriage has been cursed before she’s even walked down the aisle...

Emerald and Joe are getting married in a week, and Em’s whole family is in town to celebrate with them. But when her sister Rose gives her an expensive necklace, things start falling apart around her. At the reception for all her friends and customers, one very unwelcome guest shows up, her ex-husband Roy. Apparently her son has invited him over. But Roy is trouble and he will ruin everything for Em if he can. Her grandmother hates him and is ready to give him a piece of her mind, her fiancé will also not stand for Em being insulted, and their friend Jumbo is ready to jump in as well.

The next day is Em’s bachelor party, and after that, a big barbeque at Jimbo’s house. But that event is cancelled when Joe is shot while helping Jimbo set up the barbeque. Is it Roy who is behind this, or does Joe have other enemies? Then the modiste altering Nanna’s wedding gown for Em skips town, leaving the dress in pieces on the floor. The band cancels, so what else can go wrong? The necklace has some very strange energy surrounding it, and when they search for its history on the net, it is clear it has been hexed. So how to get rid of this hex?

All those events are horrible, but the worst part is that Em’s best friend and maid of honor Murray is in danger, from a deranged stalker. He must have thought Joe to be Jimbo, as he was wearing one of Jimbo’s shirt at the time. But who is he, and how dangerous will he get? The chief of police and her fellow officers are not happy with the relationship between Murray and Jimbo, who is a biker with a bad reputation, but now they finally rally behind her. Her house has been ransacked, and destroyed, lingerie has been taken. And a wedding ring and a threatening note are left behind. More assassination attempts on Jimbo put them all on edge, but when Murray is taken, it is up to Em and Jimbo to find her, with a little help from the pendants Nanna gave them.


I loved this book, as I love this whole series. Emerald is such a great character. Her children are growing up, but her son Kip sure does some stupid things like inviting his father and having a best friend who is not a good choice for a friend. Miranda is living through her first heartbreak, and that is not easy for a girl who used to see only the stars in the sky.

I love how a ghostly Nanna always shows up when Em needs her for guidance or just reassurance. They had such a great bond. Her sister Rose was closer to their father’s mother, but Nanna taught Em everything about her culture and her magic. Her father sounds like a bit of a weak person, not wanting to choose between his mother and his wife, so her mother had to be the strong one, the rational one in the war between the grandmothers.

I really enjoy this darker paranormal mystery series, it does not shy away from the harder things in life, bad things happen to nice people. The secondary characters are great, and I do hope that Maeve will show up in any new short stories that Yasmine Galenorn is planning. I do want to know more about her and her past. She is the one who un-hexes the necklace.

This book was not spooky in the paranormal sense, this time it was human evil that threatened everything. And I have to say, that is often more scary than the paranormal stuff as it does happen in real life just like it is written in this book.

What I do love most is Em’s view on life; I will give you this quote from the book, which I completely agree with:
“Even though I loved my kids, I didn’t see motherhood as life’s crowning achievement. It was an integral part of life for some women, but not the be-all and end-all for every woman.”
So often in romance books the message is pounded in your head that a woman is only complete with a husband and children, no matter the career she made for herself. She can’t be truly happy without them, and I so disagree with that message. Of course I still love to read romance, but marriage and children are just not necessary.

10 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian