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.
Seasonal Greetings to everyone who celebrates Christmas and Happy Holidays to those of you who don’t. We didn’t exactly have the Christmas we’d planned. Ethan returned home from uni with a nasty virus and spent the first few days in bed. Then Himself went down with it – and then, on Christmas Day morning, when we were driving to my sister’s house for a gathering of the clan to celebrate the day with the rest of the family, Oscar confessed he was feeling dreadful. Temperature, terrible sore throat, and joint pain. So we immediately turned round and headed back for home. While it was a major change to our plans, we all agreed that we wouldn’t regard the day as a loss – just different from our initial plan.
Himself set to work and cooked a lovely meal and by then, after having dosed Oscar up with various medications, he was able to sit down with us and have some food and open presents. However, it did also mean that a friend who was coming for Boxing Day had to be put off. The virus is nasty. So far, I’m the only one who hasn’t yet gone down with it and I’m crossing my fingers and hoping I’ve escaped. Amari was glad to have us around. She has been enjoying the Christmas decorations – the tree has been knocked over five times so far. Luckily nothing has been damaged. This week’s pics are of Amari – after knocking down the Christmas tree, she is trying to pretend it had nothing to do with her… Amari checking out the new stuff cluttering the mantlepiece… and Amari looking innocent after harassing the decorations on the kitchen dresser.
An early Christmas present to me – I had my hearing aids fitted during the week before Christmas and have been thrilled with the difference they have made. I went to a Christmas party and had the loveliest time, because I could easily hear everything that was being said without having to concentrate very hard. Even when it got noisy. It has also helped the tinnitus. And I had no idea my hearing was so compromised. So if you find you’re struggling with conversations – do get a hearing test. It’s made life so much easier!
I’ve been binge-watching the Voyager Star Trek series as Netflix is no longer making it available after 8th January. As I wasn’t sure I’d reach the end in time – last night I jumped ahead to watch the final few episodes and was really impressed at how good the ending is.
This fortnight I’ve read:-
Awkward on the Rocks by Marcel Feldmar
Thomas “Awkward Thom” Dante is not your typical bartender. He’s a DarkWaver—a Fire Elemental sworn to ancient laws and even older sins, hiding behind the counter of The Lost & Found, a mystixology bar built on the crossroads of a city where magic and mortal danger mingle.
But when a dark magic book of recipes vanishes and a fellow DarkWaver is murdered within the bar’s smokey walls, Awkward Thom is contacted by his ex-girlfriend—a Detective with the Agentia Obscura. Since the culprit could have used a curse or a cocktail to commit the crimes, Awkward Thom finds himself involved as both a suspect and a consultant. One mysterious murder, one missing book, and all Awkward Thom wants is to hide behind the bar and mix drinks. Unfortunately, he can’t. If evil forces gain control of The Lost & Found, the entire city could suffer the unthinkable.
Now Thom must navigate a treacherous underbelly of immortals, shapeshifters, demons, a Voudou Queen, and the detective who once held his heart. To prove his innocence and help solve the crime, Thom must use his abilities without violating any DarkWaver laws. The only problem is in order to save his city, Awkward Thom might have to sacrifice his soul.
Review to follow.
AUDIOBOOK – Time Watcher – Book 1 of Mine Through Time series by Kate Serzenta
New York City, 1862. Fabienne Beaumont lies bleeding in a filthy alleyway. Desperate to escape the bloody War of Rebellion, she and her siblings had been trying to hustle passage back home to their native France. Instead, she fell victim to a card shark’s bullets. As everything fades to black, Fabienne thumbs the hands of her old pocket watch – unaware that she’s about to awaken from one nightmare straight into another.
Hartford Connecticut, 1864. Two years earlier, Union war hero Brayden Marshall married the beautiful Fabienne – but she’s been like a stranger to him ever since. Everything changes, however, when he’s summoned back to Hartford on a mission for The Watchers – a secret society that can harness the power of time travel. It’s like meeting Fabienne for the first time all over again. She’s passionate, curious – and desperate to right the wrongs of her past. Could the mysterious pocket watch she clings to explain the sudden change in Fabienne’s behavior? And if so, can Brayden risk his future on a woman so obsessed with her past?
Savannah, Georgia, 2008. Spirited high-schooler Emily Willburne is reluctantly researching her family history for a Civil War assignment when she stumbles across the diary of her great, great grandmother, Fabienne. The diary claims to contain the secret of traveling through time – a secret Emily believes could save her dying mom, and rebuild her fractured relationship with her estranged father. But as Emily literally steps into her own history, a new possibility emerges – that the only way to reunite her family in the present is to tear Fabienne and Brayden’s marriage apart in the past.
Does Emily have the power to fix what once went wrong? Or will she tear apart her future, instead?
I read this one as I’d messed up and got hold of Netgalley arc The Girl Out of Time, which was the third book in this time-travelling adventure with a splash of romance. I loved this book. We get a thorough idea of how the time travelling works and why – and I loved Fabienne and felt very sympathetic to her dilemma. It takes a lot of skill to run dual narratives successfully and Serzenta triumphantly pulls it off. I’ve been thinking a lot about this story since I finished it and am looking forward to listening to the sequel.
9/10
Rogues Lie – Book 3 of the Caldryn Parliament series by Jenny Schwartz
A whisper campaign threatens Vanda Kavanagh’s hardwon position as Warden of Caldryn Parliament, but are the malicious rumors a personal attack or do they mask an uglier plot?
As Vanda investigates, long-hidden truths are revealed leading her to question everything she believed about herself.
In a city steeped in magic and political intrigue who can Vanda trust?
I regard the discovery of Jenny Schwartz’s writing as one of my reading highlights of 2025. This smart page-turner creaks with tension and political intrigue as once again, Vanda finds herself under increasing scrutiny now it has become apparent that she isn’t going to be merely a placeholder, but is working to make the position of Warden significantly more powerful. I’m now eagerly awaiting the next book in the series – but the good news is that I’ve discovered more series that Schwartz has written, in the meantime😊.
We Who Will Die – Book 1 of the Empire of Blood series by Stacia Stark
Life in the perilous Thorn district is a constant battle for Arvelle and her younger brothers. And the vampire standing on her doorstep is about to turn their world upside down.
Faced with an unthinkable choice, Arvelle makes a magically binding vow to do the impossible: kill the emperor, an ancient vampire created by the god Umbros. But first, she must enter the Sundering—an arena where only the fastest, strongest, and deadliest survive long enough to be selected for the emperor’s elite guard.
She quickly draws the ire of the Primus, the powerful figure charged with protecting the emperor. But the vampire under the armor is the last person Arvelle expects to encounter in the emperor’s court.
With her brothers’ lives in the balance, Arvelle has no choice but to ally with the man who once shattered her heart… and with the emperor’s sadistic son, Rorrik—two vampires whose motives are impossible to pin down. Rorrik holds the key to understanding the powers Arvelle is developing—abilities that would put a price on her head if discovered by the emperor.
To survive the arena and complete her mission, Arvelle must get to the bottom of a conspiracy that will change everything she thought she knew about herself—and the two vampires who are deeply entwined with her destiny…
Review to follow.
AUDIOBOOK – The Secret Service of Tea and Treason – Book 3 of the Dangerous Damsels series by India Holton
Known as Agent A, Alice is the top operative within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group that is fortunately better at espionage than at naming itself. From managing deceptive witches to bored aristocratic ladies, nothing is beyond Alice’s capabilities. She has a steely composure and a plan always up her sleeve (alongside a dagger and an embroidered handkerchief). So when rumors of an assassination plot begin to circulate, she’s immediately assigned to the case.
But she’s not working alone. Daniel Bixby, otherwise known as Agent B and Alice’s greatest rival, is given the most challenging undercover assignment of his life— pretending to be Alice’s husband. Together they will assume the identity of a married couple, infiltrate a pirate house party, and foil their unpatriotic plans.
Determined to remain consummate professionals, Alice and Daniel must ignore the growing attraction between them, especially since acting on it might prove more dangerous than their target.
I read the first two books in this series with huge enjoyment, but for some reason didn’t get hold of this one. So when I saw it as an audiobook being narrated by one of my all-time favourite narrators – I had to get hold of a copy. Elizabeth Knowelden does a fantastic job of playing the humour perfectly. While the growing attraction between the two protagonists produces lots of laughs – as well as a growing and poignant recognition between them that they didn’t have a childhood worth the name. It’s a tricky dynamic to achieve successfully, but Holton’s talent is up to the task. I loved this world and very much hope that Holton will revisit it at some stage. 10/10
AUDIOBOOK – Druid Mystic – Book 10 of The Junkyard Druid Boxed Set 9-12 by M.D. Massey
It’s me again—your friendly neighborhood druid, pissing people off everywhere I go in the supernatural world.
After killing a psychotic demigod, I just wanted to retreat to my beloved junkyard in peace. Unfortunately, the Celtic gods are bringing the fight to my doorstep–whether I like it, or not.
Now Austin’s fae queen has banished me from her demesne, forcing me into hiding. To complicate matters, I’ve also been tasked with hunting down an ancient vampire who’s terrorizing the people of New Orleans.
Um, okay boomers—I’m game. Question is, can I evade the Tuatha Dé Danann, all while bringing a dangerous master vampire to heel? And if worse comes to worst, can I survive a direct confrontation with a god?
Another gripping adventure – but I am finding the increasing use of major swearwords a growing problem. Massey is clearly an expert wordsmith and while I appreciate Colin is frequently in life-threatening situations, his potty mouth is yanking me out of the story. 7/10
The Crime Brûlèe Bake Off – Book 1 of the Claire Walker series by Rebecca Connolly
Amateur baker Claire Walker is thrilled to be a contestant on Britain’s Battle of the Bakers. She can almost smell the fresh pastries wafting through the air. If she can win the grand prize, she can ditch her teaching job and launch her baking career.
The Viscount of Colburn, Jonathan Ainsley, is the custodian of Blackfirth Park and an eligible bachelor. He reluctantly agrees to allow the cooking competition show to film on his estate, but when a contestant is found dead soon after filming begins, Jonathan is forced to get involved. To make matters worse, the baker’s death stirs up rumors of the legendary death of the tenth Viscountess of Colburn two hundred and fifty years earlier.
Even as suspicion falls on some of the bakers, a decidedly different kind of heat begins to simmer between Claire and Jonathan. If they are to have any hope of a future romance, they must first solve the mystery before the show gets canceled or someone else falls prey to what some believe is the Blackfirth Park ghost.
I’m a sucker for an enjoyable cosy whodunit and I thought the premise would be entertaining and an ideal setting for a nicely twisty plot. This offering provides a sympathetic protagonist, a sweet romance and a murder with the baking competition continuing in the background. It is readable and enjoyable, but doesn’t have quite the depth and impact I was hoping for. 7/10
There were no posts in the last fortnight – I ran out of time! Wishing you all a healthy week and a very Happy New Year😊.
Brainfluff 