This is part of the weekly meme over at the Caffeinated Reviewer, where book bloggers can share the books they’ve read and share what they have got up to during the last week.
Thank you everyone for your kind concern regarding the family’s illnesses last week. I’m delighted to be able to report that everyone has managed to make a full recovery, though Mum is still feeling very washed out. But it’s a huge relief that it wasn’t worse. And I didn’t catch Himself’s nasty cold, either.
The presentation on Nonsense Verse that I gave at the Swanbourne Poets’ meeting on Monday went off okay. Though I messed up at the end, as I’d muddled the timings and therefore didn’t give everyone enough time to write, which was a shame.
The writing is still going well. I’m still managing to keep my momentum going with writing Conclave of Dragons, the fifth book in the Picky Eaters’ series. And I’m also working on an adaptation of Picky Eaters into an audio presentation with my son, which is a lot of fun. I’m on track for May to be the month with my biggest writing wordcount since I got sick in March 2021.
I haven’t been out much this week. Tuesday and Wednesday were wet – Wednesday, in particular, the rain just kept pelting down. But Thursday, Friday and Saturday were lovely and sunny.
I keep threatening to bother the weeds in the garden, which have been allowed to thrive undisturbed since I got sick in March 2021. As a result, the garden has gone feral, as you can see from the photos. We are replacing the potting shed, which has rotted out, so we’ll need to do something about the jungle-like vegetation, although right now I’m considering the phrase ‘rewilding’ with some affection… To be honest, I a bit overwhelmed by it all. I thought I’d share the photos and chart our progress in reclaiming it over the summer. Or the summer and autumn. Or the next couple of years…
Books I’ve read this last week:
AUDIOBOOK – Demon Born Magic – Book 2 of the Ella Grey series by Jayne Faith
In her battle against demon assassins, Ella Grey pulled too much power and it nearly killed her. To save her, Damien and Deb had to cut Ella off from her magic. Desperate to rescue her brother from the vampires but powerless to help him, Ella must find a way to control the reaper that’s nearly gnawed through her soul and get her magic back.
When madman and necromancer Phillip Zarella offers her a solution, it’s too tempting to pass up. But making a deal with the devil always has consequences. And worse, Ella discovers that her brother is the prize in a tug-of-war between Zarella, tycoon Jacob Gregori, and the all-powerful mages. She needs every advantage she can scrape together, or she’ll lose her brother forever.
I’m really enjoying this urban fantasy series. Ella is a sympathetic, nuanced protagonist and I like that she’s driven by a sense of responsibility towards her younger brother. This twisty plot had me listening later into the night than I should to discover what happens next. 9/10
An Intrigue of Witches – Book 1 of the Secret Society Mystery series by Esme Addison
Thirty-year-old Black woman Sidney Taylor is a talented early American historian, working in fast-paced Washington DC, with her eyes on promotion. She’s also currently persona non grata. Who knew that making an inconvenient historical discovery would see her stuck at her desk, shuffling paper?
So when she receives an anonymous and very cryptic invitation to visit historic small-town Robbinsville, North Carolina and hunt for a missing archaeological treasure – with a million-dollar pay out at stake – it’s one she can’t refuse. Besides, her beloved grandmother lives in Robbinsville, and it’s been too long since she’s paid her a visit. Soon, Sidney’s on an exciting treasure hunt, following two-hundred-year-old clues that lead her ever closer to the artefact she’s searching for. But what is the artefact? And why is Sidney starting to feel like she’s at the heart of a terrifying conspiracy she doesn’t understand?
The answer blows Sidney’s world apart, plunging her into a dark, glittering world of secret societies, ancient bloodlines, witches and magic, linked to an ages-old conspiracy that could destroy the very principles upon which America was founded.
This is a real roller-coaster plot that starts off more as a series of historical clues to puzzle out, before the paranormal aspect begins to surface. I really like Sidney, who is a sympathetic and clever protagonist. And Addison does a great job of weaving actual myths and historical personalities into her thriller. Review to follow.
Stolen Pieces by S.K. Golden
Ex-con artist Bee Cardello is going legit. Divorced from her mafia boss husband, she is determined to stay on the straight and narrow. So, when ex-hubby Charlie steals $37. 5 million from a dangerous kingpin, who puts out a hit on Bee and her ten-year-old son Oliver, she finds herself pulled back into the life she’s worked so hard to escape.
Part of that old life being one Adam Gage – an old flame and all-round sexy badass who Charlie’s now employed to keep her and Oliver safe . . . well, that’s what he tells her. Bee has been in this game long enough to know that everyone is in it for themselves, and she’d be stupid to trust Adam . . . again.
When Oliver is snatched from right under their noses, rather than risk losing him forever, Bee gathers her old team, dusts off all her old grifting tricks, and comes out of retirement to get her son back!
This is a suitably twisty plot with all sorts of double-crosses and violent exchanges going down over Charlie’s daft impulse to steal an insane amount of money from an underworld boss. Bee has to pull out all the stops to try and prevent her whole family from being murdered. Review to follow.
AUDIOBOOK – Red Angel – Book 4 of the Bo Blackman Boxed Set series by Helen Harper
With the dust still settling from the brutal attack on the Agathos court and Rogu3’s school, Bo Blackman is forced to live with her newfound status as a celebrity. She’s still determined, however, to track down those responsible – and to solve the mystery of Tobias Renfrew, the daemon billionaire who disappeared over fifty years ago. Her investigations will lead her to places as far removed as a military base and the sinister Black Market.
One thing is for sure – once Bo’s done, nothing will ever be the same again.
This series is now really in the groove – nothing quite beats the sense of familiarity and nuances you get from a well-written, established series as the plot rolls forward. I enjoyed touching base with Bo again, but also appreciated how the secondary characters are also changing by the events that rain down. The heart of this one is a grim tale of greed and betrayal. And there’s a shocking twist right at the end that’ll have me tucking into the fifth book in the series before too long. 9/10
My posts last week:
Castellan and His Wise Draconic Tips on Life
Can’t-Wait-Wednesday featuring Hera by Jennifer Saint
Hope you, too, had some brilliant books to tuck into and wishing you all a happy, healthy week😊.
Brainfluff 
I’m glad everyone is feeling better😁 And I personally like the wild garden look. I say do gardening when you feel like it! Have a nice week😁
Thank you, Tammy:). And yes… I think I’m probably going to go for a far less formal approach in the garden and get more wild flowers in there and more native plants. But maybe do it a bit at a time.
Enjoy your reading and writing this week. Gardening is work but rewarding too. I’m trying to grow sunflowers again this year.
Thank you! Sunflowers are joyous – but I have to take care which ones I put in as the slugs absolutely love them. I hope you, too, have a lovely week.
I’m glad to hear everyone is feeling better and that your writing is going well! Don’t exhaust yourself with the gardening – you will be amazed how much doing a little at a time adds up over time. Have a great week Sarah!
Thank you, Jodie:)). Given how unfit I still am after having spent so much time in bed over the last 3 years, I need to pace myself anyway. And you’re right – little and often is the key in the garden. I just need to make a start!! Have a great week and best of luck with everything going on.x
So glad that everyone is feeling better! And it’s fantastic that your writing is going so well.
Here are my thoughts on your garden, for what they are worth: I’d focus on the rewilding theme. We have replaced many of our plants with native plants in the last five years, and you should see the butterflies and birds that now come visit us.
Just my two cents!
Thank you for the advice, Deb. And increasingly, I’m coming round to the same decision. We’ve got a lot of weeds/wild flowers that have set up residence anyway. Obviously there are the thugs that we need to get under control and eradicate – but there are a number I want to keep. And like you, I’m attracted by the idea to replace many of the foreign imports – especially the shrubs – with native species. Have a great week.
Oh no, I didn’t see last week’s update, but I’m glad everyone’s feeling better now. ❤ The garden still looks so charming though. 🙂 I wish we had space for a garden where I live!
Thank you, Aimee:)). Do go online and have a lot at what you can either do with pot plants – I recall my daughter’s ex-partner had a green wall of herbs on a sunny window sill in their town house which looked fabulous. Or even if you have a small balcony, there are plants you can grow. At the moment, I’m wishing the garden was a tad smaller, but I know it’s just because I’m feeling a bit daunted by it… Have a great week.
I’m so happy to hear you didn’t get the cold and the others are better. You just have to take your time. I started my garden in 2019 and continue to work it. The lawn (grass) is a horrible mess of weeds even though I treat it. I may have to go to a different grass type. I put in sod of the current type 2 years ago and much of it has died or given up to weeds.
Rather than feral, the garden looks full of life – the riotous kind, granted, but still very much brimming with energy. It’s another way to look at it, isn’t it? 😉
Ah – thank you, Maddalena! It does have a lot of insect life as I’ve been gardening organically ever since we moved here. But the bindweed definitely has to go!!
I’m very happy to hear your family is feeling much better. I’m also happy to hear that your writing is going well too. Your books all look intriguing. I hope you enjoy them. Have a great week!
Thank you, Yvonne:)). Yes – it’s lovely to be able to write with the brakes off again. And god bless reading as a hobby – I wouldn’t have got through the last 3 years without it! Hoping you, too, have a lovely week.
I am so glad that everyone made a full recovery! And as I had tendinitis last year and was unable to weed my garden, some pacthes have gone feral! It’s a daunting prospect to clean everything so I think some parts will stay wild and be a godsend for some insects and birds…
I am definitely going to have a lot more natural plants growing in the garden and not worry too much about some of the weeds. But there are thugs I need to get under control!!
so glad everyone is feeling better and yeah we got a backyard that needs a serious clean up job. Have a great week.
Thank you! If only we could put the weeds on hold for a while, as we get ourselves back together:)).
I missed the Sunday Posts last week so I didn’t realized your family was sick, but I’m glad to hear they’re all better now! Your garden is lovely. I think a little bit of ferality makes it even more beautiful! Have a wonderful week!
Haze
https://thebookhaze.com/
Thank you, Haze. I think we’ll keep a lot of the ferality – but some of the shrubs have become monsters and we definitely need to get the ivy and bindweed back under control!! I hope you, too, have a lovely week…
So glad everyone’s on the mend. Beautiful photos!
I’m glad everybody is feeling better! My yard is also pretty feral, but we’re slowly getting it under control. It might be fixed by next year. 🙂
I think that might just about be my timescale… or maybe the year after!!!