Cast in Eternity, by Michelle Sagara

Cast in Eternity by Michelle Sagara

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was just okay.

"A little less conversation, a little more action, please
All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me
A little more bite and a little less bark." -Elvis

Yet another book in the series with a heck of a lot of discussion and very little action that finally takes place at the end. (view spoiler)[And even that I skimmed through, as Kaylin once again attempted to find the true name of the baddie, because most of the search seemed to have little to do with anything. (hide spoiler)] Ms. Sagara is quite adept at using 30 words where three will do, I will give her that.

I waited and waited for this book from my library. My actual library still hasn't gotten their copies, despite it having released over a month ago. I finally ended up getting an inter-library loan, because I wanted it NOW, but no way was I going to buy it after the last book. And it's such a difference from the first several books that I would race through and re-read the previous books before the new one came out. This one took me almost a week to finish, and like the last book, I can't see re-reading it, ever.

I'm vested in the damned characters, so I will continue to read, but I will settle for waiting for them from a library.

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The Stranger Vanishes, by Wndy Corsi Staub

The Stranger Vanishes by Wendy Corsi Staub 

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars, I quite liked it.

This one took me a while to finish, but only because I got part way in and had to go search out the others in the series to read first! As the description says, you can start here and be fine, but once I realized it was several books in, I personally wanted to go back and read the others first. Once I got back to it, it was a fun, fast read.

I love the setting of Lily Dale and all the quirky spiritualist characters, along with the main character Bella, who doesn't seem quite sure what she believes. I absolutely know the feeling of, "But if the dead can communicate, why don't my loved ones talk to ME?!"

I hope there will be more in the series now that I have found it!

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book, provided by the publishers, via NetGalley.*



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Dashing Through the Snowbirds, by Donna Andrews

Dashing Through the Snowbirds by Donna Andrews 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars, I loved it.

Book 32 in the series.

I'm not a big Christmas fan, but I always look forward to the Meg Langslow holiday books each year. This year was no different. They're always a fun, somewhat crazy tale, filled with Meg's over the top family, along with Caerphilly favorites. This one once again made me laugh out loud multiple times.

I switched between the audio version and the ebook version depending on what I was doing, and I love the audio narrator. It made a fun distraction while walking on my treadmill in the evenings.

I will absolutely continue to read whatever this author puts out.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book in both ebook and audio, provided by the publishers, via NetGalley.*


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Canter With a Killer, by Amber Camp

Canter With a Killer by Amber Camp 

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was just okay.

Book one in a new series.

As a life-long Horse Girl, I saw this book on NetGalley and immediately requested it.

Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my hopes for the series. The idea behind it, of giving up your grind of a job and bad marriage to start an animal rescue, is a good one, but Mallory kind of annoyed me. She came off as naive and way too trusting of a handsome face. First rule of any murder mystery should be don't trust anyone, followed by don't immediately start dating a family member of the victim, duh.

I'm willing to give book two a try, but it's definitely on my library list and not on my "purchase" list.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book, provided by the publishers, via NetGalley.*

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Seams Like Murder, by Dorothy Howell

Seams Like Murder by Dorothy Howell 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars, I really liked it.

Book 1 in a new series.

This was a fun start to the series. I can absolutely identify with Abbey, since I went from barely knowing the difference between a bobbin and a seam ripper, to sewing my own quilt projects, though no one will let me set up a studio in their shop, haha. I also liked that Abbey seems like a smart, strong character, with some actual common sense!

The setting mirrors the sense of community that crafters really have, as Abbey makes new friends in town and fits right in. The pace moved along nicely and it ended up being a nice, quick read.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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Murder in a Cape Cottage, by Maddie Day

Murder in a Cape Cottage by Maddie Day, I liked it.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Book 4 in the series.

I didn't realize this series was this far along. The first couple of books were released exclusively through Barnes and Noble originally and I rarely go there, so I missed them. Despite being a stand alone story, I felt like I was missing character backstory. I will most likely go read the others in the series before I read any new books in it.

That said, this book was very cozy. As in, the mystery felt very light and not at all what I am used to from Maddie Day.

So, what I liked: The setting of a small, fictional Cape Code town. The historical murder mystery was also fun. The main characters were well written.

Overall, I just think this wasn't the place for me to start the series. I'll give the previous books a try.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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A Dark and Snowy Night, by Sally Goldenbaum

A Dark and Snowy Night by Sally Goldenbaum 

My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay.

Book 16 in the series.

As a knitter, I have been a fan of this series from the beginning. I just had a hard time connecting with this one. The character list felt a bit bloated and the constant POV switches kept me off kilter. I found myself having to re-read chunks to figure out who was talking or being talked about. I also found myself switching to read something else fairly often. I got there in the end, but it certainly wasn't the most enjoyable of the series.

I do enjoy the regular Seaside Knitters and the setting, so I will continue to read the series. Fans of the series should still read it, new readers would be better off starting from the beginning.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.*

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