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😊.
dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles.
The New Gaian Empire is crumbling. An undefeatable enemy from the outer reaches is sweeping across the frontier stars, slagging worlds and sowing chaos. Soon, they will threaten the very heart of civilized space. James McCoy never thought he would get caught up in the Hameji wars. The youngest son of a merchanter family, he just wants the same respect as his older brother and sister. But when the the Hameji battle fleets conquer his home world and take them away from him, all of that is shattered forever. No prisoner has ever escaped from the Hameji alive, but James isn’t going to let that stop him. He’ll do whatever it takes to save his family-even if it means losing everything in the process.
age ten or thereabouts, keeps his siblings in line with gentle nips; Cassiopeia, perhaps four or five, has a bark that is (usually) worse than her bite; and Beowulf, age somewhere-in-the-middle, is alarmingly adept at chasing squirrels.
Far from Earth, the AI-guided vessel Alchemon discovers a bizarre creature whose malignant powers are amplified by the presence of LeaMarsa de Host, a gifted but troubled Psionic.The ship is soon caught in a maelstrom of psychic turbulence that drives one crewmember insane and frees the creature from its secure containment. Now Captain Ericho Solorzano and the survivors must fight for their lives against a shrewd enemy that not only can attack them physically, emotionally and intellectually, but which seeks control of their sentient ship as a prelude to a murderous assault on the human species.
delighted millions of fans throughout the world. Now Audible is proud to present Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection, read by Stephen Fry. A lifelong fan of Doyle’s detective fiction, Fry has narrated the complete works of Sherlock Holmes – four novels and five collections of short stories. And, exclusively for Audible, Stephen has written and narrated nine insightful, intimate and deeply personal introductions to each title.
Brainfluff 