What Are You Reading?

I was rereading Dorothy Garlock's Annie Lash and thought isn't this part of a group? Yes, and somehow, I'd never read #1 of "Missouri". I remember reading #3 (Almost Eden) which is Light & Maggie's story, but never read Wild Sweet Wilderness (Missouri #1) So I'm reading it now! So far, it's a tossup which one I love more: Simon or Fain! Both guys are great!

I started the month with reading the Trails West Trilogy by Connie Mason, Tears Like Rain, Wind Rider, and Sierra.  I read them in two days.  While all of them were good, I liked the third book the best.  There were just a few things I couidn't stomach in the first two books.

Then, today, I started reading a book that I had been trying to find for the past 5 years!  I was finally able to find a first print edition of Velvet Embrace by Nicole Jordan.  I was so excited to get it and start reading it this morning.  Well that enthusiasm didn't last very long.  I don't like it   I got a few chapters in and had to put it down.  The h really needs some anger management courses.  She has a very bad temper and of course it attracts the H even more to her.  That's one of my reading pet peeves.  I may go back to it at a later date but, right now, the h is getting on my last nerve.

So, I decided to go to my TBR and read another Connie Mason book.  I'm going to start The Lion's Bride.  Fingers crossed that this h doesn't annoy me.

I have been rereading/reading further books in the Sparks and Bainbridge mystery series by Allison Montclair.

Currently, the first book, THE RIGHT SORT OF MAN, is not discounted and is priced at $7.99.

I just finished book 5 in the series, THE LADY FROM BURMA. There is also a short story that fits in chronologically among the earlier books, and I believe there may also another book out, but my library only has it as an ebook and, ironically, I didn't get it because I haven't figured out my local library's new-to-me ebook checkout procedure. (Seems strange to write that, considering this is a site devoted to ebook readership, but it's true. I'm definitely going to have to learn ASAP now.)

These are just amazing books. The writing is smooth and impressive and very readable. The plotting is superior. The historical detail with regard to the post-World War II setting feels very accurate, though I don't claim to be an expert in that time period. The characters are detailed and nuanced and fascinating.

I don't necessarily find the books relaxing reads because the stories are intense and the complex backgrounds of the characters are gripping and engrossing and ever developing. I finished each book with a sigh of satisfaction and admiration at the skill the author possesses. I highly, highly recommend this author to others!

A basic background description of the series: Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge are women in their late twenties who meet after the war and start The Right Sort Marriage Bureau in London.

Iris, in modern parlance, has a lot of baggage stemming from her family history and her not-to-be-spoken-of service in wartime Military Intelligence, and Gwen is a gentlewoman, widow of an aristocratic young soldier who died in the war. When the first book begins, Gwen has spent time in an asylum after she attempted suicide in her grief over her husband's death and, later, losing custody of her young son to her husband's parents; she is legally considered a lunatic, though she has been released from confinement. Gwen's recovery and her struggles to regain custody of her son and her independence and former legal status are an ongoing part of the series. Iris's journey facing and coming to terms with her past and determining just what her future will be, is also a continuing thread through the series. The two women start the Marriage Bureau and forge a strong, realistic friendship.

I think just that description could give you a clue to the depth and intensity of the series, but the books also have interesting, complex, well-plotted mysteries, and a multitude of well-drawn secondary characters.

Really, I can't say enough about how much I admire this author. I recommend putting her on your TBR list and checking your local library if you can't purchase them at this time. Allison Montclair's books are going to be among the few for which I will pay full price, and are definitely "keepers."

I haven't posted here in quite a while, mostly because I have done a lot of rereading. Here are a few of my recent new-to-me books.

At the River (Columbia River Book 5) by Kendra Elliot. It wasn't her best book, but if you are a fan of this series or of the Mercy Dane series, I recommend it. Mercy and Truman are the main characters, so there wasn't much romance in this one because they are already an established couple.

Heartbeat by Sharon Sala. This is the 3rd book of the Jubilee, Kentucky, series. I recommend they be read in order for the most enjoyment because of recurring characters and references to past events. I love these books because they are low angst, sweet romances (sweet meaning the feeling, not "clean"). If you are familiar with her Blessings, Georgia, series, these are similar in the small town vibes and large cast of characters.

NON-ROMANCE: DCI Harry Grimm Crime Thrillers series by David Gatward. Available on KU. These are British murder mysteries. I've only read the first 2 books and am about to start the 3rd. So far, I like them, and the main character is interesting and funny. The 2nd book was better than the first.

After the Harry Grimm book 3, I plan to read The Whisper by Carla Neggers, which I recently picked up on sale.

Mary Lancaster
Petteril's Thief (Lord Petteril Mysteries Book 1)
99¢
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0CBN1QWLY?ref_=dbs_m_mng_wam_calw_tkin_0&storeType=ebooks

I read this entire series while I was away at my nephew's wedding recently. There are 5 currently published, and I believe a sixth is in the works, though I couldn't find a link.

These books are generally well written, though you have to be willing to let go of Regency conventions.


***(Small spoiler, though it's revealed pretty early on in the first book)***


"Ape," later known as "April," is a guttersnipe thief who becomes Lord Petteril's "assistant." This, of course, is not at all realistic. Guttersnipe thieves did not easily and successfully move up in society the way Ape/April does in these stories. Nor do I believe would she be accepted as Petteril's assistant in the way she is in the books.

Normally, such a plot point would be a deal breaker for me. Why, instead, did I like these stories and do I look forward to buying more? I think it's entirely because I like the characters. They're "real" to me, emotionally. They have depth and nuance, and not just the two main characters, but the secondary ones as well.

There are mysteries in each of the stories that are solved, but the story arc continues through the next book. Book 5 is definitely not "the end of the story."

I recommend that at 99¢ for Book 1, these are well worth trying out, to see if you'll also enjoy them.

I recently discovered this author Sharon Sala and I have to say that I am truly enjoying her stories. This is another story that has captured my attention.

Butterfly Kindle Edition by Sharon Sala (Author)
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NMMGGNW/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title?ccs_id=f4f360c5-4af1-45b7-9164-ce983cc9e2be